


A Tale of Brothers

by Knightqueen



Series: Power Ranger Short Stories [1]
Category: Power Rangers, Power Rangers Lost Galaxy, Seijuu Sentai Gingaman | Starbeast Squadron Gingaman
Genre: Action/Adventure, Brotherhood, Brothers, Challenge Response, Family, Gen, Sibling Love, Sibling Love Challenge, Siblings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-02-23
Updated: 2013-01-15
Packaged: 2017-10-31 15:23:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 28,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/345649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Knightqueen/pseuds/Knightqueen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><strong>PRLG:</strong> 50 short stories centered on Mike and Leo Corbett's relationship before, during and after "Lost Galaxy". Based on the sibling-love livejournal community challenge.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Idle Hands

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer:**   _Power Rangers/Lost Galaxy_  and all things related are property of Saban and Toei LTD (and some other guys I'm probably forgetting but can't care to remember).
> 
>  **TTL;DR Author's Note:**  As much as I love Power Rangers I've never felt compelled to write any Fanfiction for any particular season/series until recently when I learned Saban bought back the rights to their franchise and pretty much all of them were uploaded onto Netflix's Instant Watch. Zero commercials and a whopping number of 40 plus Episodes threw back into the days of my childhood when everything was awesome and nothing hurt (besides doing schoolwork).  _Lost Galaxy_  in particular (my favorite PR series ever, first to  _In Space_  and  _S.P.D._ ) is the one series that reignited my passion for PR both as a kid and a adult, is still as awesome as I remember it. One the things I loved about it was the relationship between the Corbett brothers, Mike and Leo. It's completely unlike the Andros and Karone relationship on a lot of levels, but still managed to create the same kind of rapport (that these two would do absolutely anything for each other, no questions asked). So, naturally, my first PR-Based Fanfiction has to be about their relationship in particular.
> 
> Another thing I should mention is the matter of their ages. As a kid, I assumed that they were well over 19/20, given the fact that their group looks the least like "Teenagers with Attitude" - both in stature, behavior and appearance. I just assumed this was the first group of "Adults with Attitude", a theme that was carried over in  _Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue_  and employed to greater affect given those Rangers' careers. Their ages are never explicitly stated anywhere with an official source except the draft scripts (and we all know draft scripts aren't canon). I think Danny Slavin was 26 in 1999, Russell Lawrence was 21, so I'm just using the actors actual DOBs for Leo and Mike in this tale for some kind of base work.

* * *

**Title:**  Idle Hands

**Summary:**  Its summer break and Mike is bored out of his mind. Leave it to Leo to remedy his malady with some old fashioned "fun".

**Prompt:**  1 "Sidewalk Chalk"

**Word count:**  564

**Timeline:**  Pre- _Galaxy_ ; Mike is 10, Leo is 5

* * *

Mike could count himself among the strange, at least as far as his brother was concerned, for being the only person in his family who didn't like summer break. During the school year, he was busy with homework - or some activity on the side if he wasn't looking after his brother - but the summer left him almost with absolutely nothing to do for the most part.

The countless hours usually spent in school were used pondering on what to do with all of his free time. Leo, on the other hand, seemed contented to lounge around, eat junk food, watch TV or test the limits of his boundaries whenever he tried to sneak out of the house to run wild with the other kids in the neighborhood without permission.

Mike, for one, couldn't fathom how his kid brother managed to do so little (or cause so much trouble doing "nothing" as it was often his defense when he got into trouble) and never go crazy from the idleness. He tried studying Leo's method for "fun", but ended up falling asleep when Leo decided he would park himself in front of the television and watch his favorite cartoon marathon.

Plucking the rubber band around his wrist, Mike trudged toward the front door the house, paying no mind to the fact that it was halfway open. He merely assumed his mother was outside watering the flowers that accented the windows, otherwise, why would the door be open?

Halfway out the door, however, he spotted his brother crouched on the sidewalk, arms pumping furiously away at something on the ground. "Leo, what are you doing?" The sound of his voice startled his little brother to attention, mop top whipping around in the fashion of a dress billowing out in a wide circle. His hands stopped moving immediately, drawing Mike's attention in quick succession, moreso when he shrugged and put on a face didn't convey innocence in the least.

"Nothin'," He replied, jutting his jaw out in defiance.

"Ah, you're always doing nothing."

"I am not!"

"Are so," Mike rebuked without raising his voice. Leo huffed in objection; he wasn't always doing nothing. He did lots of things, more things than Mike could ever do! Narrowing his gaze in suspicion, he said, "What are  _you_  doing spying on me?"

Mike dismissed his brother's accusation with the click of his tongue and wave of his hand. "Get real! I'm not spyin' on you, I'm lookin' for mom," He replied. "Have you seen her?"

"She went out shopping for mulch or somethin'," Leo answered, simply, wiping his hands on his shorts. Mike sighed inwardly at the response given; he never seemed able to get a hold of their mother when she wasn't in the backyard. "Wanna play?" Mike shifted his gaze away from the goings-on across the street back to his brother, Leo held a piece of yellow sidewalk chalk up to him. "Please?" Mike's stern gaze softened in contemplation; drawing on the sidewalk with chalk wasn't something he'd been particularly keen on, especially in this kind of heat; it always baffled him how Leo seemed completely unaffected by it. "No thanks," He replied finally.

"Aw, c'mon, Mike, just for a little while?" Leo pleaded. "I promise not to draw on your side."


	2. Blaze of Fire

**Title:**  Blaze of Fire

**Summary:**  One must be willing to get their hands dirty for the greater good.

**Prompt:**  2 "Sticky Situations"

**Word count:**  2497

**Timeline:**   _Galaxy (no episode in particular)_ , Mike is 26, Leo is 21

* * *

Communication with the lion Galactabeast, or "Leon" as it was properly named on his home planet, was a strange case of tug and pull. The first time it came to his aid, synchrony was instantaneous as the ability to fight on the level of a master martial artist as the Red Galaxy Ranger. The power of his beast flowed through his veins like it'd been apart of him all his life, the animal instinct worked in sync with his own.

Even when they weren't fighting, Leo could sense the lion roaming the mountain dome, enjoying the idyllic peace in between battles, observing the species of his counterpart with curiosity. Speaking to him, however, was another case entirely.

Though Leo had never tried before the Motor Mantis incident, there had been times where he thought he heard a 'voice' in his mind, but dismissed the sensation off as a mere itch of some forgotten memory (or assumed it was his inner Mike berating him for one reason or another). When he realized what Maya had attempted to communicate by telling him to "listen with his heart", it was like a floodgate had been opened. The "forgotten" memory was remembered and Leo felt his connection with Leon had been completed.

Now, with everyone except brother in the clutches of Kandy Horne, Leon seemed to believe he had the solution to at least one part of their problem - entering a close proximity battle against the a monster who's staff could disconnect you from the morphing grid. The hulking beast towered above the trees of the surrounding area, his low growl vibrated through the earth as they approached. Mike hung back, more than a little wary of being so close the majestic creature. If Leon noticed, he chose not to take any real heed of it outside the paternal instinct to want to protect his brother. Leo closed the distance between them as much as possible, Leon lowered himself on his haunches and sat down.

When Leo realized Mike wasn't beside him, he waved him on. "He doesn't bite, Mike," Leo said when Mike didn't move from where he stood across from his brother. Mike tried his best not to look indignant when Leo let loose a short lived chuckle, he marched forward with all the resignation of a solider. Leon observed the two, the memory of sensing Mike's lifeforce when he pulled the sword from the stone reminded him of the what ifs of yesterday if the hand of Furio had not intervened.

The same fire flowed through both of them, but was fueled by drastically different passions. Leo's ran hot with all the ferocity of his homeland, feral, quick and often overzealous; Mike's burned like a blue fire, cunning, patient, ready to spring at a moment's notice. It was these strengths, along with all they learned, that made them worthy of this power.

"What is it? You said you knew of another power source?" Leo called up to him. Leon roared in the affirmative, to which Leo responded with an excited grin and Mike a quirk of the eyebrow. Rising to his feet he moved forward and lowered his head down to their level. The two shared a look of surprise, he could feel their heart rates increase slightly from apprehension and anticipation. The latter emotion strengthened his confidence and with a roar, he set his tongue loose on the pair. He would've "laughed" at their aghast afterward if hadn't been for the genuine fear that coursed through their veins a moment before.

As it stood he could only stand in withdrawn (and curious) observation as the two brothers regarded themselves and each other with disgust as the saliva dripped down their bodies like an over heated molasses.

* * *

"Leo, the next time your Galactabuddy feels like kissing, try to get a head's up before it happens."

"Lay off, I didn't know that's how he going to give us the power source!" Leo glowered at his brother's helmeted profile as they hurried through the maze of vacant warehouse buildings. Kandy Horne had appeared to them not even a hour after their meeting with the lion Galactabeast, boasting that he had their friends and was waiting for them at the warehouse district with plenty of reinforcements.

"You're next!" The hulking creature declared gleefully, swinging his staff around in triumphant victory before vanishing in a flash of peppermint stripes. Obviously a trap was waiting for them, the only thing they had to do was avoid it or spring it to where it worked to their advantage. Leon's power boost would only work if they had the upper hand, the feat would be easier said than done. The sound of buzzing Stingwingers overhead let them know they were close - or at least in the proper area.

The confirmation, however, came when the all too familiar feeling of a block wedged itself between them and the transmorpher bind. The guise of the Red Galaxy Ranger and Magna Defender vanished in a flash of red and green light, startling the Corbett brothers to a halt. "Oh, no," Mike stared down at his demorphed form in frustration, already plotting the demise of Horne. The two ducked behind a stack of barrels just as a group of Stingwingers began to round the corner.

The diminutive creatures marched in a haphazard single-file, often falling out of order or shoving one another about in protest. Mike pinched his nose, they reeked like a pack of flies swarming a carcass; he watched them enter the open door of the presumed hiding place of Kandy Horne. In the corner of his eye he noticed Leo was dragging his palms across his khaki's, his expression contorted in that of pure discomfort. "They still hurt?" Mike inquired, bringing his full attention to his brother.

Leo shook his head warily. "No, they just won't stop itching," He stopped scratching for a moment to turn his palms up to his brother; they were red and tender to the touch, as if Leo was having a severe allergic reaction to Leon's saliva, to which nothing on their person reacted as strongly to like their hands. They burned like someone had set them over an open fire on full burn, a side affect the Galactabeast "said" was quite common for those gifted with the "Blaze of Fire" (or "Burning Hands").

Leo had practically started rubbing his hands in the dirt the itching had been so painful, it was the same for Mike, only his reaction passed after a while and became completely non-existent when he morphed. However, without his powers to channel the energy through, Leo's ailment continued on, while Mike's seemed to have dissipated. Without a second thought Mike clasped his brother's hands in his own, allowing the energy to channel itself through his body. Almost immediately the irritation in Leo's expression dissipated, his hands began to return to their normal complexion as well. "That better?" Leo nodded. "Much better," Leo exhaled. "Sorry." An admonishing expression crossed Mike's features, releasing his brother's hands he resumed his observation of the warehouse across from them. "Don't worry about it. Just remember to keep your head. Otherwise, you'll set everything on fire, pants included." Despite himself, Leo cracked a small smile. "Right, I'll remember that." He joined his brother in the observation of the towering building as another pack of Stingwingers marched outside, buzzing and stomping their feet in harmony. "You really think the others in there?" Leo inquired in a low voice.

"Only one way to find out," Mike raised a clenched fist. "You up for playing decoy?"

Leo squinted in disbelief. "Decoy? I thought we were doing this together?"

"We will, but someone has to distract the Stingwingers in order to get inside."

"Why me?"

"Because you're the quickest," He paused, studying the incredulous look on his brother's face. "As soon as you lose them just double back here, alright?" There was a beat of hesitation before Leo gave a sharp nod of his head; he was ready to do anything to make sure the others were rescued.  _I just hope Mike doesn't do anything stupid._  As if his thoughts were heard, Mike nodded, an almost mischievous smile gracing his lips. "Don't worry, I'll be careful." Their meaning of the word "careful" constituted two different things, but it the best Mike could offer without making a promise that couldn't be kept.

Leo mimicked his expression, the excitement running through his veins triggered the itching sensation in his fingers again, only this time it was becoming focused. "Alright-" Mike raised two fingers in a peace sign and gave his brother a mock salute, "do everything in your power to get their attention, little brother." And without so much as a warning, Leo sprung up from their place and stepped out into the open.

"Hey, uglies!" The Stingwingers halted, their single-file broke apart and became a huddled group of angry hisses and threatening hand gestures. "You wouldn't be looking for me, would you?" The Stingwingers looked to each other in excitement, hands swiping the air in anticipation for to the attack. Leo opened his arms wide, grinning like a madcap. "Well here I am!" The Stingwingers hissed at his moxie and began their charge. Leo stood his ground, counting the seconds down.

Raising his arms he crossed his hands above his head, brought them down and thrust his arms forward.  _"Blaze of Fire!"_  The initial blast wasn't unlike the Quasar Saber attack at full power, yet this made it no less startling to see in unmorphed form. The ball of fire mowed through them like nothing, reducing most to ash, leaving only a few left standing the aftermath.

Both Mike and Leo stared in awe at the power's aftermath, that was a little more than they had expected! Uprooting his feet from the wide stance he fell in, Leo turned tail and started running. "Catch me if you can!" The Stingwingers followed suit, limping and flying after their assailant with all the vigor their weakened states could muster.

Mike went unnoticed by every single one of them. He waited until they were all out of his line of sight before coming out of hiding. An eerie silence washed over the warehouse district, setting Mike on edge. The door of the warehouse building was wide open, waiting for him to step through. His nails dragged across his palms as his fingers curled into fists.  _Hang on guys, I'm comin'._

Mike stepped through doorway, surprised by the sudden shift of atmosphere inside. The warm glow of the simulated sunlight did nothing to dispel the odd chill that circulated through the spacious area, full of empty or occupied barrels and crates, among other hardware. Further inspection of the area revealed the hunched shadows of Stingwingers emerging from behind the shelves in the distance, followed closely by the sounds of struggle and standardized evil cackles.

Kandy Horne appeared from behind one of the shelves, wielding his staff in triumph while the Stingwingers dragged the Rangers, unmorphed and bruised, into the line of sight, chained together like criminals. "Well, well, nice to see you finally show up, Magna Defender," Horne sneered. "You'll make a fine collection to my otherwise incomplete Ranger chain." The creature paused, eyes shifting left to the right. "Where is the Red Ranger?"

"Nowhere you'll find him," Mike replied heatedly, falling into a defensive posture. Kandy Horne let out a hissing laugh. "You aren't even worth my time, Magna Farce!" Horne thrust his arm forward, finger poised to strike his opponent down. "Stingwingers attack!" The Stingwingers rushed forward like a swarm, bracing himself, Mike prepared to repeat the same attack as his brother.

Heat poured forth from his core through his arms, the palms of his hands began to prickle as he raised his arms hands above his head, brought them down and thrust his arms forward. Fire sprang from the center of his palm onto the unsuspecting lackeys, front and center received the brunt of the attack while the others rolled out of the way of the blast.

Kandy Horne looked on at the scene in astonishment, Scorpious never mentioned the Rangers could use their abilities without morphing! With the path partially cleared of immediate threats, Mike leapt over the group of Stingwingers and charged Kandy Horne. "Not so fast!" The beast twirled its staff and fired, Mike ducked below the bolt of energy in a roll to the right. Kandy Horne's antenna stood up on attention, irritated by the guile expression on Mike's face. Breaking away from the captured Rangers, he swung his staff in a wild spin at the GSA officer, Mike's side caught the end of the staff's blow, the strength of the hit sent him flying like a rag doll across the smooth concrete ground into the legs of a shelf.

"Mike!" The others cried in unison, hearts racing at the seemingly lifeless form of their friend, open for attack. Kandy Horne cackled in presumed victory, brandishing his clawed fingers in anticipation for the final blow. The Magna Defender had put up a better fight than this the first time they crossed paths, it was almost too good believe he could be defeated so eas- Horne stopped. The edges of Mike's lips turned up into a cruel grin, the Stingwingers began to buzz loudly behind the monster, signaling the arrival of another.

The monster turned a moment too late; Leo was already coming down for the strike, poised like a wildcat ready to scratch the eyes of its opponent, instead, he thrust his fist forward. Kandy Horne watched in absolute terror as the Red Ranger's raging fist collided with the center of his staff, cracking the core as if it were made of balsa wood.

"My staff!  _Nooo!_ " The monster watched the staff disintegrate into a million pieces of energy in his hands. Leo landed in a crouch before Horne, almost immediately he could feel the power of his Morpher rushing through his body again. Light surrounded bodies of the others and himself, one look at his gloved hand told him he was Red Ranger once again, both in mind and body. Kandy Horne stumbled away from the sight of the morphed rangers, fear racing through his body now that his ultimate weapon had been destroyed.

"It's over, Kandy Horne," The Magna Defender appeared at the monster's side, his sword at the ready. One swift swing of his blade broke the chains binding the Pink, Green, Blue and Yellow Rangers together, an action which did nothing except make Horne sweat bullets. Leo joined his brother as the others flanked him. "Give up!"

* * *

**Author's Note:**  This chapter was inspired greatly by a recent rewatch of "Hexuba's Graveyard" and adjusting to the idea presented in  _'Seijuu Sentai Gingaman'_ , in which Ryouma and Hyuuga (Leo and Mike's Sentai counterparts) use an ability dubbed "earth", with their elemental strengths being that of "fire". It went on longer than I expected it to and was left open ended (or unfinished) because... well, the monster gets beaten in the end and I was never compelled to show that obvious end result.


	3. Mistakes

**Title:**  Mistakes

**Summary:**  When someone tells you "no" it's usually for a good reason.

**Prompt:**  3 "A Learning Experience"

**Timeline** _ **:**_ _Pre-Galaxy_ ; 1987 Mike is 16, Leo is 11

* * *

Leo sat in defeated silence as he listened to his brother mutter to himself as he moved to and fro through the kitchen, opening the windows and turning on the fans. As the air began to circulate around them, the smog created inside the kitchen began to dissipate, moving out of the confined space into the other room or out the open windows.

Leo regarded the fire extinguisher lying on the floor across from where his brother currently stood, remembering how the foam spurt forth from the wide nozzle onto the mess he created on the stove. He swallowed when Mike turned to focus his attention on him. There was nothing about his expression that gave him hope that Mike would chastise him, he looked more inclined to box his ears in and whack him with a shoe.

He'd been told time and time again never to use the stove when there was no one home, he wasn't old enough to handle the responsibility. However, in the realm of Leo Corbett, there wasn't he anything couldn't handle, no responsibility he couldn't take. And with nothing except leftovers to heat up, their parents at work and Mike out shopping, Leo wasn't going to wait until his growling stomach started eating itself.

It seemed easy enough, he put the rice in a small pot, put a cap sized amount of water in the pot and proceeded into the living room. There were a lot of things he could say about what happened, but he hadn't counted on falling asleep watching TV. No, had he known he'd been tired he would've fixed himself something to eat later. Instead, he got a rude awakening from the smell of something burning in the kitchen and the shrill ring of the smoke detector, all as Mike stepped through the front door with half of the groceries in hand.

Of the things Mike bought that ended up on the floor when he made a dash for the fire extinguisher, the eggs were smashed, the apples were bruised and the spice bottles had seen better days. If it were all possible, Leo would've died on the spot, but his heart kept beating, even after Mike bellowed at him for falling asleep.

"Mike-"

"J- Don't say anything, Leo," Mike silenced him, jaw clenching. "Go upstairs to you room, don't come out until I tell you to."

"But-"

"I said go!" The ferocity of his voice was enough to get Leo moving out the kitchen and running for the staircase. Mike listened to his brother's retreat until the sound of his bedroom door slamming echoed above. He'd save the brow-beating for later, right now he didn't trust himself not to throttle his little brother for almost settling the house on fire and ruining a good pot to boot.


	4. Misplaced in Time

**Title:**  Displaced in Time

**Summary:**  A sleepless night on the Astro Megaship leads to an aimless conversation.

**Prompt:**  4 "Bunk Beds"

**Timeline:** _Galaxy (Lost Galaxy Arc)_ ; Mike is 27, Leo is 22

* * *

The Astro Megaship wasn't a vessel Mike had many opportunities to travel in, what his miraculous return from the "dead" (or as far the heads of Terra Venture were concerned, the training simulation on the moon), yet he often found himself drawn to the isolating silence of the rooms aboard the ship for rest. After Commander Stanton had given reassigned him to second in command again, he worked overtime to prove them (and himself) that he could continue on with his job despite all that happened in his absence.

He helped the others when he could as the Magna Defender, but managed a healthy distance otherwise. In their present situation, he was more of a help as Officer Corbett at the side of Stanton, who was clearly struggling to maintain face as they tried to find a way out of the Lost Galaxy. Rubbing the back of his neck, he cast a wary glance over at the digital clock on the desk across from his bed.

The numbers flickered franticly, not unlike the hand clocks, in a constant state of flux thanks to their residence in a universe that seemed to bear no real comprehension of time or space. Pushing the blankets side, he sat up slowly, bracing himself on the edge of the bed. "Deca," He spoke in the softest voice he could muster. Decca, in her usual fashion, replied in even tone of voice, "Yes, Mike?"

"What time is it?"

"The time is unknown as time zones are indeterminable."

He exhaled slowly. "You know what day it is?"

"That is also a negative."

_Okay._  Mike rubbed his forehead in exasperation. The wariness of sleep still weighed heavily on him, yet he couldn't find it in him to return to dreamland, which could mean only one thing…  _Leo's up and about._  "Is there are anyone else up besides me?" He inquired after a moment, swallowing against the knot in his throat.

"Yes," The program replied in the affirmative. "Leo is presently located on the simulation deck."

"What program is he running?"

"Idyll Grove." That was all Mike needed to hear. Climbing out of bed, he headed out his temporary sleeping quarters and made a beeline for the simulation deck. Though he was hardly familiar with every inch of the ship, he traveled the particular twisting path of the Megaship with relative ease, knowing his room and Leo's weren't far from the simulation deck. When he arrived, the doors were closed (naturally), barring him immediate entrance.

Pressing an ear to the right door he listened in for any indication that Leo was still inside. Reaching over, he activated the intercom. As expected the sounds of wildlife and water rushing over rocks flowed through the overhead speakers; the distinct sound of his brother's grunting followed, indicating there was little more than reflection and tranquility going on within. "Hey, Deca, think you pause the simulation for a second?"

"Of course, Mike." A moment later the simulated sounds of nature came to a halt, along with his brother's grunts. The doors opened to reveal a wide open field surrounded by lush trees and shrubbery, bathed in golden sunlight. Leo stood in the center the frozen simulation, Quasar saber in mid-swing eyes searching for the culprit responsible for stopping his program.

Green eyes landed on Mike's broad upper body in surprise, Leo's saber went down at his side and vanished in a flash of red light. "Mike, hey," His younger brother greeted him with a wave and the simulation ended, revealing the stark metallic background of the ship's innards. "What are you doin' up?" Mike shrugged his shoulders, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I could ask you the same thing, little brother," He replied. "Aren't you supposed to be sleep?"

"Well, that's the thing, I couldn't sleep. I came in here let off some steam," Leo stated with a shrug. Mike watched as he plunked the loose threads of his tank top in a self-conscious manner, an indication that there was something more than sleeplessness bothering his brother. "Care to join me for a little one on one?"

"As enticing as that sounds, I've got a better idea," He said. "How about a round of HCM? My treat." Leo smiled in genuine amusement, nostalgia washing over him quicker than he anticipated. "I think I'm a little old for that remedy, Mike," Leo joked.

"No one's ever too old for Hot Chocolate Midnights," Mike chuckled. "C'mon." Leo didn't hesitate to follow his brother out of the simulation deck and toward the mess hall. "Hot Chocolate Midnights" (or "HMCs" as Mike began to abbreviate it) had been their mother's specialty as kids, it always cured the inability to sleep and typically gave the youngest Corbett brother a reason to stay up longer.

After leaving home to strike out on his own, Mike kept up the tradition out of learned behavior and the same could be said of Leo, who remained living with their parents until his unexpected departure for Terra Venture (Mike could imagine how well that went over with Mom). Neither Leo or Mike could remember when they stopped treating themselves to HMCs, it just happened and Leo couldn't figure out for the life of him what spurred Mike to bring it up again.

They entered the mess hall, Leo made himself comfortable at the modified dining table (rebuilt by Damon to seat seven people) while Mike fiddled around with the multiple choice selection on the combinator. "How are things going at GSA?" Leo decided to ask, breaking the comfortable silence.

Mike shrugged his shoulders, watching as the timer on the panel flickered in the same way the clocks did. "The same as they were last week. No means of navigation, no sense of time, plants reverting to seeds, balding men growing hair-" Leo chortled at that, knowing his brother was only half-serious. "-I think Commander Stanton's lost a few gray hairs," Mike finished upon hearing the ding. Opening the door, Mike reached in and grabbed the two cups of hot chocolate. "Here." Leo took the cup his brother offered, the smell of chocolate soothing his nerves some.

"What about you, any change on your side of the fence?" Mike inquired. Leo shook his head, a solemn expression gracing his features. A mere week had past since the first attack of Captain Mutiny, the battle against Groucher had left himself and the others questioning the strength of their powers and wondering what would become of the space colony if an assault of that magnitude came again. They were on their own in an uncharted universe, with no Ranger or NASADA back up to aid them.

If Mutiny succeeded in capturing the colony - or worse, destroying it - that was it, there would be no second chances. And all of this, all of it amounted to one thing: the Galaxy book. That stupid worn away and husky leather bound transcript that he found on the abandoned shuttle floating through space.

If he'd never found it then none of this would've been happening, and more importantly, Kendrix would still be alive and Karone would be enjoying her life on earth with her brother and Zhane. "Leo," The touch of Mike's calloused palm against the back of his hand shook him out of his reverie, his brother was fixing him with a stern look. "Don't do that, alright?" He said.

For the briefest for moments, Leo was tempted to brush his brother off with a carefree smile and a memory of from when they were younger. "I wasn't doing anything," Leo said. Mike narrowed his gaze, he shook his head. "Don't lie, you were thinking about the Galaxy book weren't you?"

Mike chose to take his brother's silence as an affirmative. "None of this is your fault, none of it." At his brother's dubious look, Mike continued. "Unless your psychic, you couldn't have possibility predicted this could've happened, any of it." Though he nodded in the half-hearted affirmative, somewhere in Leo's mind, he still felt responsible for the chain of events that took place. The two fell back into silence, sipping their hot chocolate in contemplation or as a means to forget the conversation that took place not moments ago.

"There is one thing I've been noticing," Leo said after a moment. Mike raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Oh, yeah? What is that?"

"I've been having these weird flashbacks lately, their almost like out-of-body experiences to the point where I start to think what I'm seeing is real." Leo scratched the back of his head, his face expressing confusion. "Like, right before I headed into the Simulation Dock, right as I stepped out my bedroom, I was suddenly standing in the doorway of our old bedroom back on earth." Mike sat up straighter at the description, he leaned forward. "How is that possible?"

"I dunno, I was just there, watching our younger selves talk to our mom on the bunk beds we used to have. Remember it?"

"Yeah, I remember it. Mom had the flu then, but you couldn't have been any older than six or seven," Mike recounted, astonished. Leo nodded, he certainly looked that old in the "flashback" he was experiencing. "What else happened?"

"Nothing, I just watched us talk and then I was back on the Megaship," Leo concluded. "The other day, I remembered that fight we had right before you left for the  _Terra Venture_." Mike bit the inside of his cheek on that note; that particular fight was one he'd sooner forget than remember, especially with the way he began grasping at strings for reasons Leo couldn't come other than not being selected by the lottery. "Only that time, when you looked up from the counter while I was yelling at you, it was like you saw me."

"What do you mean, 'saw you'?"

"I mean, the "me" that was fighting with the you in 1998, was standing on the other side of the counter. The past you looked up from the counter and stared straight at the present me, in the kitchen doorway, as if he saw me." Leo shrugged helplessly at his brother's baffled expression. "I mean, he certainly reacted that way."

Mike vaguely remembered what his brother described, but from his memory alone all he remembered was seeing the ghost of what looked like his brother, completely different from the one that stood across him, then he vanished as if he were a mirage. "Then, what?" He asked.

"Then, nothing. I ended up face first in the park fountain because I forgot I was trying to catch the Frisbee Kai had thrown." He looked to Mike, a wary expression graced his features. "I was in another time or place, but according to the others, I didn't  _go_  anywhere. You think this is something caused by the Lost Galaxy?" Of course he did, and he had no doubt Leo suspected the same, but the last thing he wanted was his brother toiling over it when he could be sleep. Downing the last of his hot chocolate, Mike shrugged his shoulders. "I think it means you need to get some rest, little brother."

Leo made a face, disgruntled by the answer. " _Mike-_ "

"Hey, we'll talk more about this later, alright?" Mike interjected. "Just try to get some sleep for now." For the tiniest moment, Leo looked liked he would rebel against his brother's sound advice, but a moment later saw him oblige to Mike's request with a stiff nod. "Alright, I'll try."


	5. Matchstick Fingers

**Title:**  Matchstick Fingers

**Summary:**  Mike and Leo and the ability (or lack thereof) to cook.

**Prompt:**  5 "Pancakes"

**Timeline:**   _Galaxy (Post-"Facing the Past")_ ; Mike is 26, Leo is 21

* * *

The success or failure of cooking was a reoccurring theme in the Corbett household. It was a specialty of Renee, their mother, who possessed the unfortunate inability to not be able to cook anything not ready made in a Bisquick box. Their father, Tom Corbett, on the other hand, was particularly gifted a fixing an variety of foods, boxed or made from scratch; In retrospect, Mike expected, with all the time Leo spent at their parent's side in the kitchen, that he'd end up with the skills for the finer ways of preparing food. Mike rarely felt compelled to enter the kitchen unless it was to fetch the dinnerware or empty the dishwasher. He only cooked when he absolutely had to.

Thus, both brothers found it a funny coincidence that out of the two of them, Leo ended up with even not even half aptitude of his mother and Mike the skill of his father. Everything Leo attempted to fix, supervised or otherwise noted, died a fiery death and at first, it was either due to his forgetfulness or some Ranger-related emergency. As if to make matters worse, the tales Kai and Damon relayed to him during his absence of Leo's failed attempts to become a better cook when there was a lull of monster activity, seemed to solidify the fact that their mother's graceless touch with food wasn't a malady to be cured.

Staring at the wide scorch mark on the wall next to the stove, illustrated the "Chicken Fritter Massacre" for the older brother perfectly. Mike, on the other hand, never presumed his culinary skills rose above average, especially when compared someone like Kai, who took great pleasure in preparing meals for the sake of it. Leo, however, revered his cooking almost as much as he used to as a child, which was saying a lot in his (Leo's) opinion, seeing as he couldn't cook to save his life. "Mike always did make the best Pancakes," He would overhear Leo recount to Karone one afternoon. "Mine always looked like burnt hockey pucks."


	6. Legends

**Title:**  Legends

**Summary:**  "I was there, the day you and the Rangers saved the earth."

**Prompt:**  6 "Cartoons"

**Timeline:**  Pre- _Galaxy, PRIS: "Countdown to Destruction"_ ; Mike is 25, Leo is 20

* * *

Angel Grove was experiencing a rather interesting period in time during the 20th century, one Leo never took any real notice of until he was fifteen. The city had become the epicenter of supposed terrorist attacks, or rather "monsters" of humanoid forms. No one really knew what was happening; if you asked an adult, they called them "terrorists" using elaborate means to strike fear into the hearts of Americans everywhere. If you asked a kid, they assumed the monster under their beds were plotting to take over the world and enslave humankind (to which the parents would always rebuke, "Silly, there's no such thing as monsters.").

And if you asked a teenager, they presumed some elaborate movie was being shot at the expense of Angel Grove's residents and housing. Or a pyrotechnic lunatic escaped the funny house and was exacting their revenge on their fair city, either one was plausible. If Leo were a betting man, and he was, he'd be more inclined to believe the theory of his fellow peers, because, really, there was no such thing as monsters and it was decidedly uncool to believe anything a kid told you.

Along with the "monsters" were another anomaly that called themselves the "Power Rangers", a group of color coordinated martial artists that frequently engaged the so-called terrorists of America in hand-to-hand combat. They also had the fortunate ability to become giant monsters themselves when they piloted a Voltron-esque robot no one knew the name of. Kids adored them, adults were somewhere in the middle or adoration or revulsion, teenagers thought they were incredibly lame for wearing such loud outfits, but admired their prowess in battle. As frequent as the attacks were on the city, they typically never happened where Leo was fortunate enough to be, which made him all the more skeptical of these "Rangers" and "Monsters" actually existing.

Mike, his brother, paid no nevermind to it, a little too absorbed in getting through his junior year in college to notice anything beyond the stacks of research papers and library books. When Leo confronted his brother on the matter, Mike shrugged if off with a roll of his eyes. "It's probably nothing but a big hoax. I haven't seen any monsters or Color Rangers-"

" _Power_  Rangers, Mike," Leo corrected, despite his own skepticisms. Again, Mike shrugged it off and returned to the hallowed halls of his bedroom to work. Life went on as usual, reports of attacks, monster sightings and Power Rangers would continue on for the next six years, frustrating both Corbett brothers for completely different reasons, until that fateful day in 1998. Mike was in his fourth and final year into his training at the GSA, Leo had just begun his third year in college, leaving both brothers without a decent moment to be together beyond the half-hearted "hellos" every now and again. So, what better way to bring them together than a full frontal assault on the earth from the forces of evil?

For the both of them, it was just another day; as per the usual, they met at the Angel Grove mall and mingled there until the atmosphere became unbearable. However, the attack had come so suddenly that it often left them wondering if the entire experience wasn't some horrible nightmare. One moment the two are driving through a nondescript part of the city on the way home, the next the Mike is swerving to avoid hitting the silver and black bodies that literally appeared out of thin air in front of them.

The collision with the lamppost combined with the knock on the head he received when he was thrown forward into the dashboard, left Leo disoriented and slow to react to the events going on around him. He heard his brother call out to him, he saw the doors open and the swarm of hands yanks both him and Mike out of the car, but couldn't find the strength to retaliate.

Quantrons surrounded them, pulling them every which way in their attempt to capture them. To say that he was scared was an understatement; Leo had been terrified to the point of calling out for Mike. His panic was enough inspire his brother for the group Quantrons had manhandled him out of the car, were sent flying across the sidewalk in different directions.

The Quantrons who had him apprehended were the next to take a tumble across the concrete and asphalt, leaving Leo a little more than stunned at Mike's fighting prowess. "C'mon, let's go!" He didn't waste another second gaping at his brother, he grabbed his hand and the two ran through the chaos that was consuming the city. The entire scene was a relative disconnect for both Corbett's, but Leo remembered having the hardest time with digesting their upended reality.

People were screaming and running every witch way from the silver-bucket heads, explosions went off in random areas, cars crashed, bodies flew over head or into their path of escape; none of it for the most part, felt real for him. It was waking-nightmare. If he followed Mike as far as he did it because his body was running on autopilot, not any conscious decision on his part. When they finally found someplace to hide amongst the rubble, Leo remembered "waking up" - coming to his senses and aware of his surroundings - when Mike kneeled down in front of him, effectively blocking the light of the makeshift campfire in front of him.

"Hey, Leo-" His big brother's face came into focus with a simple blink, his eyelids felt heavy, but he kept them open. "Hey, Mike," He thought he heard himself say. Someone to the left to him started to speak, someone Mike only spared a shake of the head before focusing his attention back on Leo. "You gave me a scare there, little brother," Mike placed a reassuring hand on the back of Leo's neck. "How's your head?"

Throbbing like he landed in a pool without water. "It's alright, I think," Leo replied, perhaps a little too calmly. "Are mom and dad okay?" There was a beat of silence, Mike's expression seemed to want to convey one thing while his eyes expressed another, nevertheless, Leo waited for an answer. "I… I don't know. There's no phone service and I can't go anywhere without getting spotted by those things-"

"Quantrons," Another quaky voice provided. "Th-that's what the Rangers called them."

"Yeah, right, Quantrons," Mike amended, his expression becoming worrisome. "Are you sure your okay, Leo? You seem a little out of it."  _Really?_

"Shellshock, I'm afraid," These voices were really beginning to get on his nerves. "I thought they taught you boys at the GSA a thing or two about that?" Leo watched as Mike turned his attention to the disembodied speaker and gave him or her a pointed look, one that clearly implied irritation. "They do, I'm just worried about my brother, sir."

"I'm alright, Mike," Attempted to assuage his brothers concerns with a weak smile. "I'm just a little winded, I guess." Mike shot his brother a dubious look that clearly wasn't a viable explanation for Mike. He sat next to his brother on the slab of what was once apart of a building and placed an arm around his shoulder, Leo welcomed the sign of affection the more aware he became of his surroundings. "I think it's a little more than 'winded', Leo," He said. "You were completely out of it, you haven't responded to a thing I've said or done until now."

"Yeah?" At Mike's nod, he said, "You mind telling me what happened while I was out?"

Mike shrugged. "Near as I can tell? We've been attacked by aliens, a Spice Girl reject projected herself in the sky and proclaimed she's conquered earth and in exchange for our survival, wants to Power Rangers or we're all history." There was an awkward pause afterward, Leo found himself puzzling more over the "Spice Girl" commentary than anything said to him by his brother (as the mental image that came to mind was a well endowed redhead in platform boots). "The Power Rangers are real?"

"Son, where have you been these last six years? Of course the Power Rangers are real! Their as real as the monsters that attack our city all the time," Came the disembodied voice from before. Raising his head he focused his attention on the origin of the voice; she could only be described as a somewhat attractive woman, more than a tad bit overweight, and despite the frown on her face, maintained the air of kind person. More importantly, Leo remembered she worked at the Surf Bar the kids frequented these days, he'd been there once or twice, but never paid any true attention to her.

He could only manage a halfhearted shrug, one that was strangely unmirrored by his brother, who maintained a noncommittal expression. "I- I was never around when they showed up?" It was all he could offer as an explanation and the damned truth; It wasn't his fault they chose to fight where he wasn't.

"Kid, where do you live?" An old man asked.

"Angel Grove, same as everywhere here, I guess." He looked to the group of people around the fire, all of them nodded in the affirmative.

"Then how is that you never see these attacks or the Rangers?"

"I dunno! I see all the damage, but I don't the result of it." And there wasn't anything to say afterward. Those who aimed their attentions on Leo retreated into themselves and listened to the chaos continuing on in the distance. Leo, despite his disorientation, was feeling a little more connected to his present predicament. Mike, however, told him to "relax" and try to get some sleep if could. Some part of him wanted to protest, but his body was too worn out from the aftermath of his adrenaline rush, that he obliged to his brother's request without argument. Without a proper place to rest his head, he used Mike's shoulder as a substitute pillow. "I hope mom and dad are okay," He murmured.

"I'm sure their fine, Leo. Get some rest."

Leo didn't remember much of anything after that, just the sound of his brother's steady breaths and the smell of wood burning in the fire. Night dissolved into early morning in the blink of an eye, Leo and Mike were startled out of their sleep by a booming "People of earth!" from Astronema. The moment of truth had arrived. Mike helped Leo onto his feet and guided them closer to the crowd that had congregated near the building the alien woman and her right hand man had chosen to present themselves. "Your time is up!"

Leo took one look at her pale and calculating expression and realized Mike wasn't too far from the truth, but there was something far too domineering and unpleasant about this woman to even begin to compare her to a pop group. Yes, if anything, it was an insult to her stature, as she looked down on them as if they were less than nothing, a speck of dirt on her boot to be brushed away.

"Power Rangers!" She bellowed, twisting her staff in hands. "You're all cowards! You would sacrifice this whole planet to preserve yourselves?" Her eyes scanned the crowd, staff tilting forward in a final warning. "I will ask one more time—where are the Power Rangers?" Leo watched those in his line of sight share looks of hesitation, torn between their own lives and protecting the lives of those who helped them without a second thought.

If they knew and gave the Rangers up, there was no guarantee they'd be spared this woman's wrath, but to remain silent definitely meant death was their only reward. It was like watching a pen teeter on the edge of a table, would it fall or would maintain balance? He shared a look with his brother, who maintained a resolute expression. "Never thought it would end like this," He said, a halfhearted smile gracing his lips.

Mike returned the look with a shake of his head. "Never say die, little brother," Mike grunted, readjusting his grip on Leo's waist. "Even if things are looking that way?" He didn't see the point in that, especially if it seemed easier to resign yourself to the inevitable end, but Mike was always more optimistic in the regards of survival and winning.

Mike nodded. "Exactly, never give up." Easier said than done, however. The muscles in Astronema's face twisted into a look of absolute rage, causing the crowd to step back. No one had come forth with the whereabouts of the Rangers, the decision had been made. "Fine then," Astronema said. "If that's how you wanna play it. Let the destruction of earth-"

"Wait!" And to her credit, Astronema paused in her declaration long enough to scrutinize the bulbous man who stepped forth out of the crowd. "I am the Blue Ranger," He declared without hesitation. The declaration was as profound as it was ridiculous, Mike and Leo exchanged glances, their disbelief mirroring the so-called conquer of earth.  _There was no way that guy is a Power Ranger_ , Leo thought to himself, but realized what he'd done as others began to rise to his challenge, declaring themselves Rangers of every color. He watched the scene unfold with wide eyes, his spirits lifting with every person who stepped forth and stared the woman down with every ounce of courage.

Astronema gnashed her teeth in frustration at the scene, the picture of the devil immortalized in flesh. With a swing of her staff, she pointed a vengeful finger at the crowd.  _"Destroy them all"_  She roared. Turning her back on them with one turn of the heel, the Quantrons and Pirahnatrons began to swarm the terrified crowd, weapons raised and morale unbeatable, when-

"Hold it right there!" brought both enemy and civilian to a halt. Astronema turned, eyes narrowed into slits as five individuals appeared atop a rooftop. Their stances were proud and unyielding, fists clenched to their maximum. And kids, teenagers really, Leo watched as the one he assumed the leader was stepped forward, eyes narrowed. " _We_  are the Power Rangers," He declared in a even tone, to which his comrades responded with a stiff nod.

The crowd became of a murmur of excitement as the young man looked to the others. "Ready Guys? Let's Rocket!" The decisive swing of their arms and the flip of their morphers transformed them in a flash of black, silver, blue, yellow and pink. When the light faded, the Power Rangers were standing before them, heroes out of a scene from one the old  _G-Force_ cartoons.

The unified "Alright! Fantastic!" From the Leo and Mike was lost in the roar of a celebratory crowd and gabbles of the Quantrons and Pirahnatrons. Astronema didn't stick around for the Rangers to reach her as they leapt down from off the rooftop, turning on her heel she vanished in a flash of purple energy, leaving her army to fight on their own. The crowd rushed forward without a second thought to their welfare. Leo was more than a little surprised as he watched the tide wash past them into the enemy and before either of them knew it, the crowd pushed themselves between them.

Mike vanished from his line of sight in the blink of an eye, Leo never heard him call out to him. Effectively thrown into the chaos of frantic movement, Leo stumbled through the crowd, eyes switching back and forth in a vain attempt to discern good guy from bad guy.

A flash of silver appeared in the corner of his eye, reacting on blind instinct; Leo thrust his leg out and connected with the figure's chest. The Quantron fell over in surprise, Leo balked in surprise as the creature was mobbed by the surrounding bodies he ran into, before Leo himself was tossed onto the ground by a pair of Pirahnatrons.

And that was how much of his time was spent inside the mosh pit of bodies; fighting off the enemy, throwing them off of others or being thrown aside by either side. He never ran into Mike or the people they'd been with the other night when in hiding, he never got close enough to see a Power Ranger.

By the end their ordeal, Leo could barely raise an arm to defend himself against the stragglers, a disadvantage they certainly capitalized upon. Quantrons came up from behind, grabbing him by the arms and forcing them behind him. His legs were kicked out from under him, Leo landed on the ground with a thud. Completely incapacitated, Leo watched with wide eyes as one of the Quantrons raised its weapon above his head to deliver the killing blow.

In that moment he truly expected to loose his head, but as if the heavens heard his pleas for the chaos to end, a blinding light from overhead illuminated the cloudless skies, bringing everything to a halt. A billion points of light rained down from overhead, aiming precisely onto the Quantrons and Pirahnatrons, reducing them to tiny dunes of ashes.

Leo remained on the ground for a time, eyes clamped shut, grimacing at the feeling of ash rolling down the collar of his jacket. He could hear the celebratory cheers, but dare not move incase something else happened. His caution, however, would not last for long; it was brought to an abrupt end at the touch of a hand upon his head. Cracking open one eye, Leo angled his gaze on the figure kneeling in front of him. Mike, looked more than a bit worse for wear, offered his a brother a worrisome smile.

"You're alright," His voice couldn't be heard over the roar of the crowd, but Leo nodded all the same. Hoisting himself of the ground, he took the hand Mike offered him and stood upright. The dust of the fallen enemies tumbled off his shoulders like sand, he was sure he looked something resembling a ghost right now. Not that it mattered to his brother, who pulled him into fiercest hug he'd ever experienced. He could feel the muscles in both their bodies relax as he returned the hug, his lungs released a breath he hadn't been aware of holding in.

The city had once again become the epicenter of monsters of humanoid forms. No one really knew  _why_  it happened, but Leo could at least say he was a witness to the salvation of an almost end by the Power Rangers.

For once.


	7. Rushing

**Title:**  Rushing

**Summary:**  Every age has its limitations and freedoms, the limits just seem worse when you're a kid.

**Prompt:**  7 "When I Grow Up"

**Timeline:**  Pre- _Galaxy (1986)_ ; Mike is 13, Leo is 8

* * *

It wasn't easy being the youngest of a four person household, especially when it seemed like his brother got to do everything he wanted, with or without permission. Mike could understand why Leo thought he was allowed anything he asked, but he had just as many limitations as Leo had freedoms; their only major difference was age.

Mike was at least marginally old enough to understand that if he did something wrong or betrayed his parents trust, there would severe consequences as a result. However, because of the general misconception that came with youth, there was always a "someday" to be added to the long list of somedays Leo had manufactured since learning how to speak. For every thing he wasn't allowed to have or do, there was a "someday" to go with it.

While their neighborhood appeared safe enough for him roam about in, he was never allowed to go anywhere on his own, without either their parents or Mike accompanying him, unless it was the backyard.

Their schools were located on different sides of Angel Grove, therefore their parents always drove them to school, their mother a little more than wary of the prospect of her children walking alone to the bus stop, Leo especially. "Someday, I'm going to walk anywhere I want without you," He would tell Mike. And to this Mike would either roll his eyes or choose not to respond.

Yes, someday Leo would be old enough to roam the city, and someday he might even want to leave home and never come back. However, after a while, listening to Leo pout about what he would do when he was allowed to do became tiresome, to the point where it usually escalated into a fight between them.

Yet, as much as his somedays bothered him, Mike could say they gave his brother something to shoot for. Even it was as far out of reach as space itself. He was still just a kid, however, and their mother once told him, "As much you say "when I grow up" when you can't get your way, you'll miss being a kid at some point."

He couldn't say she was far from the truth, Mike wasn't even an adult, and he missed the lenient freedoms of an eight year old kid that Leo took for granted everyday.

"Don't try to grow up too fast, kiddo."


	8. Ground control to Major Corbett

**Title:**  Ground Control to Major Corbett

**Summary:**  Outer Space was no place for dreamers.

**Prompt:**  9 "Stargazing"

**Timeline:**  Pre- _Galaxy ("Quasar Quest")_ ; Mike is 26, Leo is 21

* * *

Leo's particular interest in space astronomy and constellations was curious, if only because no one prior to him in their family had a perchance for it. If you wanted to find Leo, the only place you had to look was the attic.

There in the crowded and confined space laid a telescope he could easily waste good hour or more staring through. Given that they lived in the city, there wasn't much to see over the blinding city lights, but Leo liked to pretend he could seem them, supported with the idea that the star formations he saw the books were the ones he could barely see through the clouds and lights of his hometown.

Mike didn't take a major interest in stargazing until he was enlisted in GSA, his way of coping with the fact that not only were they training to protect the whole of the earth, but allied planets and galaxies as well. Leo could've imagined - even jumped - at the chance to leave the planet to play superhero and study the stars he so adoringly gazed upon.

Mike never truly came to terms with outer space until he was staring down at the planet earth. The odd disconnect between himself, his family and the place he spent the better part of his life, drove home the point of his training and his brother's willingness to leave it all behind to experience this world up close and personal.

The galaxy might've been full of beautiful stars and galaxies, but it was probably worse than all the problems on earth combined. Be it dead or alive, Leo's big dreams would get caught up in this universe and never want to give him back. And as if the universe agreed, Mike was the only one out of his family to join the mission to find a new world by the default of being a GSA soldier.

His parents were more than a little heartbroken by his decision, but supported him the nonetheless. Leo on the other hand, try as he might to happy for his brother, was a raging inferno on the inside. He could try to get a passport, but the chances of succeeding were slim to none with the high demand to join Terra Venture.

Mike could sympathize with his frustrations, but maintained the belief that Leo would better off with his feet on the ground and his head below the clouds.


	9. Close, but no Cigar

**Title:**  Close, but no cigar

**Summary:**  Never make a bet and then side with Leo. At least in concerns to food.

**Prompt:**  8 "Cookies"

**Timeline:**   _Galaxy (Post-"Stolen Beauty")_ ; Mike is 26, Leo is 21

* * *

"Are they supposed to look like this?" Maya puzzled over the object in her hand. Her expression was mirrored in the faces of Mike and the other Rangers as they examined the misshapen rabbit shaped cookies on the smooth platter that belonged to Leo and himself.

Just across from his were perfectly shaped rabbit head cookies that Kai and Kendrix made no more than a half-hour ago. Kai was looking particularly proud of his achievement, Mike regarded his brother, who looked like he'd come out of a battle with a monster from baking cookies, with bemused expression.

Leo tried not to look too defeated at the same time he pretended not to covet the perfect cookies that were Kai and Kendrix's. Damon took one bite of Leo's cookie and braced himself for the worse; the taste was somewhere between burnt coco and baking soda (though how that was even possible was beyond him).

Maya nibbled on the cookie and made a remark in a language they could assume was Mirian. Half of cup of milk later, Damon tried Kai and Kendrix's cookies, to which their delighted expression needed no description. With a decisive nod, Damon and Maya raised their mini-flags in favor of Kendrix and Kai. "The winners," Maya declared, dragging their plate of cookies over her side of the island.

Wordlessly, Mike and Leo fished out a combination of fifty dollars. Leo would be washing dishes for another two weeks, Mike had simply lost a couple dollars because he'd chosen to side with his brother.


	10. Of Hook and Charm

**Title:**  Of Hooky and Charm

**Summary:**  Mike drops by the park to chat with his preoccupied brother.

**Prompt:**  10 "Sprinklers"

**Timeline:**   _Galaxy (Pre-"The Rescue Mission")_ ; Mike is 26, Leo is 21

* * *

As massive as Terra Venture was there weren't a lot of places Leo was particularly inclined to visit. As Mike would begin to notice, his brother never ventured far from the mountain and forest domes or the central dome where his and the others quarters were located.

Within the central dome, the park was a place he chose to mingle when by himself, so it wasn't a terrible surprise that his frequent appearances caught the eye of a daycare manager that also frequented the park with an army of children at her side. As a result he actually gotten himself a paying job and it was for goofing around with kids. "You should've seen Kai's face when I told everyone," Leo recounted the following night. "He really looked like he wanted to object to the whole idea."

Clichéd as it would sound to anyone if said aloud, Leo got on better with kids than the average adult and in turn, they got along with him. It was easy to assume it was because Leo wasn't exactly a picture of maturity (like Kai or Damon), especially for a 21 year old man, but he was when it counted and that was all that mattered to Mike.

Stopping just a few feet from the path that would lead him further into the park, Mike took a moment to observe the scene before him. Six kids were running around and away from a set of sprinklers, screaming and squealing with delight while Leo sat across from them on the bench, a smile playing on his lips. The condition of his hair and clothing, damp and lacking the usual air friendly buoyancy let him know he'd participated in the festivities going on at the present.

Mike continued his approach without his brother's particular notice, the twitch on the side of his face let him known that Leo was at least partially aware of his presence, but not to the extent that it would have alerted him.  _He probably thought he was daydreaming,_  Mike thought, grinning. "How's the job going?" It took exactly six seconds for his brother to realize who'd spoken; Leo sat a little straighter as his gaze focused on Mike's figure. He looked like a kid with his hand caught in the cookie jar. "Hey, Mike," Leo slid across the table of the park bench, inviting his brother to join him. "I thought you were at work?" Mike sat down on the actual bench with a sigh, his muscles relaxed and the tension in his lower back dissipated. "I'm on break," Was his reply.

Leo quirked an eyebrow, smiling. "You're playing hooky?"

"No, never! Collins is covering for me," He replied, looking a little more than hurt by the mere suggestion of abandoning his post for leisure time. Leo offered his brother an innocent shrug of the shoulders, he was usually still working during the afternoon, what else was he supposed to think? "The kids behaving?" Mike asked after a moment.

"More or less," Leo yawned. "Their energy seems endless, I can't keep 'em still for one second before their off again."

"Yeah, no kiddin'," Mike chuckled. "I remember when you used to be like that."

"Oh, yeah?" Leo gave his brother a playful shove. "What about you? I seem to remember you were just as energetic as I was!"

"I think you have mistaken for someone else, little brother. Didn't you know?" Mike feigned a look of innocence. "I was quite the composed child when were kids, I was born that way."

"Phfft, whatever! Mom says differently."

"Dad'll say otherwise, though," Mike countered. There was a brief moment of silence before the two shared a chuckle over their stalemate. Soon afterward, the eager chattering of kids came toward them, a soggy mess of mud, grass and water. "You know, their parents are probably gonna kill ya for letting them play in the mud," Mike murmured.

Leo shrugged his shoulders for the second time that afternoon. "They might," He said. "Then again, they didn't seem to notice the first time it happened, so who knows? Maybe I'll get lucky this time." When Leo offered his brother his trademark grin of confidence, to his credit, Mike reframed from humoring his snake-charming brother with a counterargument. Leo could've charmed the pants off of Commander Stanton with a smile, so what made him think a bunch of parents were any different?


	11. Lucky Coincidences

**Title:**  Lucky Coincidences

**Summary:**  Leo it was a decided it was a lucky coincidence he chose not to follow the others.

**Prompt:**  #11 "Catch"

**Timeline:**   _Galaxy (Post-"Destined For Greatness")_ ; Mike is 26, Leo is 21

* * *

Leo it was a decided it was a lucky coincidence he chose not to follow the others after the training session on the simulation deck. Had he not fallen asleep in his temporary quarters, he might've been left wondering why his brother  _and_  the Astro Megaship was missing from Terra Venture. Alas, he also figured was an unlucky coincidence that he moseyed into the control room and scared his brother. The consequence of said action had literally sent both them tumbling to the carpeted ground when Mike steered the ship into a sharp "left" turn.

Had it not been for Alpha, he was pretty sure the ship would've ended up in an asteroid field or something worse. Pride tussled and more than a little embarrassed he'd been caught, Mike was quick to demand why his brother was on the ship and not with the others protecting Terra Venture. "You shouldn't be here!"

"What am I -? I was taking a nap in the other room, that's why I'm here," Leo retorted, glaring. "What are  _you_  doing on the ship, why aren't you with Commander Stanton and where are we?" He took one glance the viewing screen at the planet who's geography was some backward version of the earth, a combination of earth, water and something else he couldn't quite make out.

"We are currently in the Karin system," Deca replied for Mike, who sent a sideways glance in the direction of the A.I.'s physical representation. Leo blinked twice at his brother, then inquired if they would enough fuel to return to Terra Venture. Deca answered in the affirmative. "You mind tellin' me what's going on, Mike? Its not like you to just leave without telling one of us," He said.

"I had a dream about this planet last night," Mike replied without the slightest hesitation.

Leo did his best to reframe from making any comments about Maya's tendency to pull these types of stunts and listened to his brother. The Magna Defender had visited him in his dream and showed him the location of weapon called the "Defender Axe". "The planet Tau is where the Torozord was born, its where the Defender powers were created," Mike finished. "If I get that Axe, I'll be stronger than before." It sounded simple enough, but Leo felt there was something his brother was leaving out, some fine print that came attached with the so-called Defender Axe.

"Where on planet is it?"

"In a temple near Taurus falls, you can't miss it," Mike replied.

"And you have a plan, you know, in case something happens?"

"When don't I ever have a plan, little brother?"

That was a good question for another time. When the ship landed in the clearing just a few miles from the temple (which wasn't hard to miss, Leo noted; it was mantled with a bullhead that resembled the Torozord), the two ventured out into the overgrown wilderness. There was nothing remotely unsettling about this particular area of the planet aside from the giant bugs and the distant roars of other beasts that were probably like the Torozord (or it's complete opposite).

When they reached entrance of the temple, which was larger than appeared from a distance - it dwarfed them like no structure on Terra Venture. There was no blocked entrance or even a legion of guards waiting to attack them, just a straight path through the temple which lead to clearing encircled by stones and one lone Defender Axe on the other side.

Mike hummed in suspicion. "Alright, so it's not in the temple per-say. This strike you as too easy?" He asked Leo. His little brother replied with a simple "Yes" and summoned his Quasar saber.

All he could do was think of booby trapped temple from  _Raiders of Lost Ark_ , he could just imagine stepping inside and getting skewered by poison darts or crushed by a giant boulder come outta nowhere. "We could always go around it," Leo suggested, pointing to the open path leading into the woodland on the right of the temple. Mike spared the temple entrance a glance then looked to the right, in Leo's opinion there wasn't much a choice to made here.

However, his brother had to make things difficult when they needn't be. "I'll go through the temple, you take the path," He said. Leo started to protest, but was promptly silenced by Mike. "I'll be fine," He told him, summoning the Magna Sword. Leo could've argued with his brother to follow after him, but there was nothing doing when Mike made up his mind. Swallowing his protests, Leo nodded in understanding and started down the path while his brother made for the temple entrance.

The entire time he advanced through the wilderness toward what he hoped was the other side of the temple and not a 10,000 foot drop to his doom, his senses were screaming at him "danger!" It put him on edge like a cat that could spring at the drop of a pin, he was sure he had the power to reach feline heights as well. Cutting his path clear, Leo finally reached the clearing, his mind completely on freeing himself of the thickets.

Which naturally lead to the loss of his Quasar saber. In the second it took him to react to the blast of green energy headed his way, Leo had managed to raise his sword in a half-hearted defense. The energy hit the flat of the blade, knocking it free of his grasp. He tumbled back onto his ass, heart racing.

"You trespassing on holy land, leave now!" Leo started, squinting through the smoke of the blast at the figure standing across from him. He recognized Mike right off, his brother bent over, arms twisted behind his back. The man standing beside him wore a black uniform that likened him to that of a matador in some sense, he held the Defender Axe like it'd been apart of him for years. Either his brother knew someone had been inside the temple and ventured inside just to lure him out, or he really didn't expect they'd have company. Either way, Leo couldn't tell from the expression on his face, which was just pure anger. "Who are you?" Leo demanded, rising to his feet.

"I am the Black Knight, Hyuuga, the guardian of Tau," He replied. "Leave, go back to wherever you came."

"Not without my brother and not without the Defender Axe," To his credit, that sounded tougher than he felt presently. Hyuuga seemed genuinely amused this response, with a flip of wrist the handle of the axe elongated, it glowed red as if to implicate the anger of the so-called guardian. Leo steadied himself, one wrong move and it would be the end of Mike, he would lose him again. "The Defender Axe is not a weapon given to just anyone, you must be worthy of its power. Your kind are unworthy."

"Our kind?" Mike managed say before he was forced to kneel on the ground. "Humans?"

"Terrans, people of the Earth," Hyuuga nodded. "No good has ever come from that planet. It's a wonder that so many of you were granted the powers of the Galaxy, let alone the power of the Magna Defender."

"Obviously, you don't know too much about humans, Hyuuga," Leo shot back. "Zordon doesn't give the power to just anyone, nor does he discriminate against their race, only what's inside their hearts. If anyone's unworthy of any power, it's you!" And that was all it took to distract the guardian, insulting his pride.

Mike felt his attention was split between himself and Leo, he took the chance to strike. Rising to his feet, Mike kicked Hyuuga in stomach, the guardian stumbled backward, arm swinging forward. Mike kicked the weapon from his hand then delivered a punch to center of his chest. Leo watched as Mike caught the Defender Axe and, with a dramatic turn and twirl of his hand, sent it flying across the clearing.

" _Catch it!"_  It was a simple enough task, no difficulty in the action whatsoever. The weapon twirled through the air, a prize for anyone who could catch it. Leo, with his usual reckless abandon, rushed across the clearing and launched himself off the Cliffside after it without a second thought to his wellbeing.

The sound of his brother battling against Hyuuga rang in his ears as he literally soared through the air toward the weapon, it's hilt clashed against the palm of his hand in the same way the opposite elements of their powers did. In the blink of an eye, he twisted around and aimed without seeing, a surge of energy burst forth and struck it's target. The warrior fell back in surprise, his grip on Mike's arms broken. In the tiniest frame of time, Leo managed a foolhardy smile before dropping out of sight.

Coincidentally, the realization of what he did didn't hit him until he was in possession of the Defender Axe. Twisting through the air, Leo was barely able to position himself for the fall when his feet hit the water. The sensation of tumbling without direction struck with him with panic, blinded by the surge of air bubbles that surrounded him, his legs floundered furiously in one direction, hoping it was take him surface side.

A strong arm wrapped itself around his waist, Leo twisted in the direction of the body that seemed to appear from nowhere, he stopped short of throwing a punch when he realized who it was. They swam to the surface, both took a large gulp of air once their heads broke the surface of the water.

Through the haze of water stinging his eyes he recognized Mike's expression muddied by relief, hair flat against his head. "Hey, you're okay!" Leo gasped like a fish out of water, genuinely surprised to see he him unharmed from his blind attack on Hyuuga. "Yeah," Mike nodded quickly, a weary grin on his face. The two swam for the nearby shore, listening out for Hyuuga's approach. Mike helped his brother out of the water, Leo raised his free arm to reveal the axe. "I caught the axe," He breathed.

Mike nodded to the Quasar saber in his other hand. "And I got your sword back," He smiled. "Wanna trade?" Leo began to answer when a yell from above caught their attention, the two of them rolled out of the way, the black knight landed right where Mike had been, the end of his sword embedded in the ground.

Leo brandished his Quasar saber in one flourish, while Mike hefted the axe in his hands, trying to a balance the weight out between the uneven ends. Hyuuga regarded both brothers with indifference, pulling his sword from the earth he pointed it straight at Mike. "Only him," Was what he said. Leo caught the general meaning of his statement, he wanted to his brother alone, he wanted to see how he handled the Axe. He was hesitant, but one look Mike left no room for argument, this was his battle, not Leo's. Lowering his sword, Leo stepped away from them until he was against the wall of the cliff, Quasar saber returning to the morpher. Hyuuga took one look at Leo as if to question him, Mike did the same and it was almost like looking into a mirror image despite the radical differences.

"I won't interfere," He said. "You have my word."  _And I'm a man of word, if anything._  Hyuuga gave the young man an appreciative nod of the head then returned his attention to Mike. The two squared off for some time, sizing one another up, testing the waters with sudden movements or adjustments to how they handled their weapons. Leo looked on in anticipation, though he was prone to do it as well, he couldn't stand all of the posturing. Mike had to win this, the Magna Defender wouldn't have shown him the way here if he didn't think he could win this.

Hyuuga's foot slid to the side, he launched forward. Mike raised the Axe in defense, the blade hit the center of the hilt creating a burst of energy that shot out against Hyuuga. Both warriors stumbled back in surprise, Mike steeling himself for the next attack as the knight rebounded and charged again. He blocked the next attack with the broad side of the axe, blocking Hyuuga's kick with this own.

Mike was an exceptional fighter all of own, he knew of it but never acknowledged it until he saw his skilled channeled through the Magna Defender. It was hard not to immortalize his brother as knight, a warrior without distractions as he kept Hyuuga on his toes with a weapon that looked relatively cumbersome to maneuver, much less fight with.

Hyuuga, however little they knew of him outside of his occupation, was no lightweight. The man hit with the restless ferocity of bull provoked on his territory, forcing his opponent to go on the defensive while he assailed him with blow after blow from his sword. That was how they remained for a time, matched in power, one never outdoing the other. The fight eventually ended with Mike as the victor, Hyuuga, while bitter at his defeat, relented and named Mike the new keeper of the Defender Axe. "The powers deem you worthy of wielding it, though I disagree," He rose from his kneeling position, eyes switching between the two men. Mike watched as the axe was absorbed into his morphers, he felt the energy course through his veins before dissipating.

"Leave now, return from whence you came."

Mike nodded, Hyuuga spared the two brothers one last look before launching himself back up to the top of the cliff they fell from. He turning to Leo he gestured to the top of the cliff. "We better get a move on," He said. Leo glanced up at the cliff as well, a contemplative expression gracing his features. "We jumpin' or walking?" He was feeling weary at the mere prospect of walking all the way back to the Astro Megaship.

On the other hand, Mike looked equally wary at the prospect of using their strength to super jump back to the ship, it wasn't exactly the friendliest method of travel after long periods of time (particularly on the knees). "Call Alpha, maybe we can get him to bring the ship to us," Mike suggested. Leo had no problem with that idea in the least; he raised the morpher to his mouth and hailed the ship. "Alpha."

" _Ai-yi-yi-yi, Leo! Are you alright?"_

"We're fine, Alpha," Leo replied. "But we could use a lift."

" _Of course, where are you?"_

"Behind the temple, at the base of the cliff. You can't miss it."

" _What are you doing down there? Did you get the axe?"_

"We'll explain later, Alpha. Just hurry and get here."

" _I'm on my way!"_

The connection ended with a click, Leo sighed in exasperation as Mike came up beside him. "Alpha's on his way."

"I heard," Mike said, slinking an arm around Leo's shoulders. "You alright?" For the tiniest fraction of a section, Leo was tempted to use sarcasm. However, he simply shook his head in the negative. "I'm tired and smell like a wet dog," He said. "What about you?"

Mike shrugged his shoulders. "I could use a nap myself," He replied, ignoring the dubious expression on his brother's face.


	12. Face On I

**Title:**  Face On

**Summary:**  Leo and Mike's perspectives during and after his fall on the planet Mirinoi.

**Prompt:**  #12 "Tears"

**Timeline:**   _Galaxy ("Quasar Quest" through "Redemption Day")_ ; Mike is 26, Leo is 21

* * *

**(Leo)**

* * *

There was something to be said about consequences. You make decision thinking, hoping or believing that the reaction will be no more important than the time it took you to come to the conclusion. Leo never once thought that his decision to stow aboard Terra Venture, his decision to disobey his brother, not once, but three times, would have any great impact on his life. He'd done it all the time before Mike literally disappeared into his GSA duties. If anything, he expected they would get into a fight, disagree to disagree and retread the same ground they always covered. They were brothers, there was a point where they would eventually forget and find something else to get at each other's throats for, because like it or not, Leo wasn't going back to earth and Mike couldn't drag him back if he tried.

He wasn't a kid, he wanted to prove that much that his brother, but he was also fed up with being treated like he'd ruined everything. He wanted to help Maya, not go back to Terra Venture so Kai could out him as a stowaway (the self-righteous jerk). He ran through that portal with no real knowledge of where he'd end up, he faced those Stingwingers because he knew he could handle them. (Which made it all the more embarrassing when he couldn't and landed right in the bushes his brother and girls were hiding in.)

He bickered with his brother, who punched him in shoulder or lead him around by the collar of his armor, in a hushed voice all the way to Maya's village and faced Furio down with a rather overconfident statement of his defeat, because you know what? He and Mike would finish their bickering later, right then and there was the time to help Maya get rid of what was an altogether unholy looking lemon-head creature.

His frustrations forgotten, Leo got caught up in the thrilling sensation of fighting to save the wild girl's village. He felt a mixture of pride and jealousy when he watched his brother and the others admire the Quasar sabers, modern day knights of King Arthur's fold. Even when things took a rather surrealistic turn for the worse, Leo never considered the idea of loosing his brother until he saw him disappear down the split in the earth created by Furio.

Funny things how work out in the end.

Everything they ever fought about, anything he thought he was entitled to seemed meaningless then. He beat off the Stingwingers like overgrown flies and dashed across the short distance between himself and the gaping hole that captured his brother. Leo never gave the enemy a second thought; he dove across the ground, catching himself on the edge stared down at the endless void below his brother. He focused every molecule on persuading his brother to grab his hand. Every time he slipped, every time he saw the dirt shift under his brother's weight, his heart sunk lower into his stomach. He couldn't find in him to angry at his brother for demanding repeatedly to take the saber, he his entire focus was on the one hand keeping him up. Mike's fingers were poised precariously on the meager edges of the wall, his mind created the illusion that he wasn't holding on at all. Panic commanded that Mike let go the stupid weapon and save himself. But he didn't, Leo damned the moment he chose to listen to his brother.

He'd been petrified, pride and survival didn't amount to much when you had to watch your brother fall to his death. He couldn't move, couldn't speak, he stared down at the foggy chasm through his tears, thinking he could will his brother back up to the surface. The most he did, however, was shut his eyes when the dust swirled into his face and mixed with his tears.

The fight had a blur; for all intents and purposes he had chosen to run on automatic. The power of the saber was the jolt needed to get his battery running, urging him to raise it to sky. He did so without thinking, feeling more or less connected to the silent language of the weapon. He lost himself in the foreign strength that had him leaping over Stingwingers and Furio like an animal. He knew how to fight, but the things he'd begun to do were of a different nature entirely, the energy was purely animalistic and didn't let up until they had to run again. Stop Furio, save Mike, save the others, his mind bounced from one thing to another he was so disoriented.

The first nail in the preverbal coffin fastened as he watched the green planet become engulfed in stone. His eyes shifted over to Maya, she stared at the viewing screen with a vacant expression, body rocking back and forth like a child waiting impatiently for something to happen. She'd lost her entire planet, her family and way of life in an entire day because they'd chosen to interfere. What good did it do for her in the long run?

What good had he done for Mike?

The jarring trip through the portal seemed to shake her from her lethargy as she went on to explain the relatively vague legend of the sabers and how they had been chosen to become Power Rangers, something that never once entered his mind as a possibility, not even back when the earth had been invaded. So they had a duty to the universe to save it, he vowed to do his best in the absence of his brother, but what good did it do him? Mike was dead, smashed between the walls of an equally dead planet. No amount of vowing and soldiering on would bring him back.

Turning, he regarded Kai, Kendrix and the relatively unfamiliar faces of a robot and a greasy mechanic. Kai probably thought less of him now than he already did, Kendrix looked like she wanted to console him. The robot tilted its head in curiosity and mechanic simply looked awkward, completely aware of the silence's significance. Leo felt the walls of the control room warping, closing in as his balance was thrown off kilter. "Uh, is there uh restroom or someplace I can use-?" He began.

"Restrooms are on the far end of the ship, right hand side," The disembodied voice startled all four of them, Alpha hurried forward and placed his (or was it her) hand on Leo's wrist as his weapon went up. "No, no! It's alright, it's only Deca," Alpha proclaimed, a nervous chuckle in it's tone.

"What's a Deca?" Maya inquired, coming forward.

"The ship's computer," Damon replied, which only compounded the confusion of the wild girl. He, Kai and Kendrix sought to educate her in the ways of the 20th century, Leo capitalized on their distraction and vacated the room. He stumbled down the twisting hallways, using one hand for balance. When he reached what he assumed was the far end of the ship, he was glad to see someone had actually labeled the door with a restroom symbol.

Punching the control pad, the door slid open to reveal a relatively spacious facility with six cubicles, a counter with six sinks, one bath tub on the right and one shower on left of the room. The door closed behind him with a hiss and he allowed himself to fall to the ground. The corkscrew of emotions didn't hit him all at once, it came as gradually as the realization of where he was did. He sat the sword down and pulled off the gloves.

His hands were bare, seemingly untouched by the battle. He tugged at the morpher on his wrist, the band unfastened and the uniform dissipated, throwing him back into his GSA garb, ironically enough, wearing gloves again. Unfastening his armor, Leo tossed it aside and made short work of the gloves.

Repositioning himself on the floor he leaned against the wall next to counter. He wanted to cry, cry the gnawing pain right out of his chest and into the open yet he couldn't find it in him to do it. It was right there in his mind, but something chose to block it from him.  _Defense mechanism, probably,_  he thought warily _._  And that's when the door slid open to reveal the jungle girl, Maya.  _Well, what could she want?_  Leo wondered, studying her ragged clothing. She looked genuinely confused by her surroundings, almost afraid to enter in some ways, but a sniff of the air brought her gaze down to where he sat, which was more than a little unsettling.

"Hi," He managed a weak smile and a nod of his head. Maya entered the pristine bathroom slowly, she cast a wary glance over her shoulder at the door as it slid shut, then kneeled before him. Leo swallowed, unsettled by her intense gaze. Maya scooted closer to him and without warning, pulled him into a hug. "I'm so sorry about your brother," The lack of proximity between her chest against his own was bad enough, but did she have to make things worse with her uncanny strength? A girl that tiny shouldn't have made him feel like a pretzel being crushed.

She pulled away from him, mistaking his bewildered expression for pain of another kind. He nodded warily, taking her hands his own. "It's f-fine," He stammered. "I'm sorry about your home." The sheen in the girl's eye gave way in the form of tears, she shook her head. "It isn't your fault, it was Furio's. As long as he doesn't have the Quasar sabers, their sacrifice won't have been in vain."  _Well, that's one way of looking at it,_  Leo kept the thought to himself as he looked in the other direction. The confidence in her voice almost convinced him, but the mere fact that her eyes were saying another thing entirely cheapened the statement.

"I've never been off-planet before, what's your world like?" Maya inquired.

Leo paused to think. The romantic in him would've wooed her with idealistic descriptions of parks, oceans and the general freedoms of man that were taken for granted; now, however, he couldn't imagine earth as anything except someplace he lived. "It's alright, I guess, but we're living on a-" He trailed off when bathroom door opened again to reveal Kendrix, looking worried to say the least. Her gaze shifted over to him and his pulse skipped a literal beat. Maya shied away from his touch when Kendrix placed herself in front of him, still wearing her Ranger uniform. "Hey, we're just a few minutes away from the  _Terra Venture_ ," Her hand gave his boot a tug, as if to urge him to stand. "I've asked Kai not say anything about your… situation. If you plan on staying, we know someone who can cook up some papers for you and Maya. It'll be like you were always there on the civilian roster." When he said nothing, she made herself comfortable next to him. "If you don't want to say on the colony, we'll understand, okay?" Her tone was consoling, her manner understanding and terribly reminiscent of his mother. How was he going to tell their parents that Mike was gone?

"He has to stay!" Maya proclaimed, surprising both of them. "The powers work in conjunction to the other. If one of us leaves, the rest will fall."

"Well, I'm sure we can find someone else, right?" Kendrix asked.

"No! The power of the saber chose him, his brother chose him. No one except him can wield the powers," Maya was looking particularly distressed about the entire ordeal, Leo shared a despondent look with Kendrix. The temptation to leave this nightmare behind was strong, but after hearing what Maya had just told him, it made him feel less than awful for being so selfish.

"I'm staying here, Kendrix," Leo said after a moment.

"Are you sure?" She asked. "You  _don't_  have to stay because you feel obligated to, Ranger powers or no." She challenged Maya with a look, Maya said nothing, but was clearly protesting her actions to change his mind.

Leo nodded, ignoring their eye-duel. "I'm staying because I want to. Besides." He put on a smile. "I can't abandon my new friends, what kind of person would be if I did that?" Perhaps it wasn't the answer Kendrix wanted to hear (judging from the worrisome expression on her face). Part of his decision to stay was because of Maya's duress, but he couldn't leave now after causing so much trouble to get to space in the first place. This was his life now, for better or for worse, he had to deal with it.

* * *

**(TBC)**


	13. Face On II

**Title:**  Face On

**Summary:**  Leo and Mike's perspectives during and after his fall on the planet Mirinoi.

**Prompt:**  #12 "Tears"

**Timeline:**   _Galaxy ("Quasar Quest" through "Redemption Day")_ ; Mike is 26, Leo is 21

* * *

**(Mike)**

* * *

The first lesson a soldier learns is that death is an unavoidable consequence when you choose to pick up a weapon and defend your country (or, in this instance, your planet). He spent four years of his life training in GSA, fooled himself into thinking he knew what he was getting into when confronted with schematics and information regarding varying species or planets, until it was simply common place to process things like that.

Terra Venture would be the place where he would put training to good use, not only in battle, but as Stanton's chief officer of the colony's overall function. As a part of GSA's military branch, Mike was among those whose status in joining Terra Venture was a guarantee, while his family's inclusion to join the colony into space was left in the hands of fate (or so the brochure would have them believe). His parents weren't too crushed that they wouldn't follow him, only that they would miss him immensely when he left. Leo, on the other hand, was the one person in his family that wanted to join the exploration into space and he realized he wasn't chosen, the reaction was subdued one moment and explosive the next.

Mike deemed it was for the best, his brother was loose cannon in the sense that he never stopped to think of consequences of his actions. Give him a dirt bike, Leo would pull tricks that would give their mother a heart attack and never think twice about what would've happened if he lost his balance. Dare him to walk across a narrow wall and Leo would do it just to prove his bravery and his agility to the naysayers. If he saw someone in trouble, Leo would jump straight into the fray without accessing the situation (a "flaw" he himself shared). Leo had all the mettle to make a great soldier and capable leader (selflessness, and the generosity of a saint), but he had no control over himself, his desires got the better of him and he could never commit himself to a schedule, let alone a job.

Leo would cause more problems than solutions on Terra Venture and the moment he declared he would try and follow him, Mike had only one thing to say: "Don't even try to follow me, little brother. It's not like you could anyway, seeing that you don't have a passport." Oh, yes, he'd been very confident that that little obstacle would stop Leo altogether. However, the look in his brother's eyes when he rebutted, "I don't have a passport  _yet_ ," gave him serious pause. Leo, for all his nobilities, could be as sneaky as they came and he knew enough shady people that Mike began to believe that his brother would end up forging a fake passport just to go to outer space.

The next two weeks he spent in on the colony, prepping to leave, did little to alleviate the fear that Leo would show up, victorious in his endeavors. However, caught up in the final training exercise on the moon, Mike allowed himself to forget his worries and simply focused on the faux-mission at hand. When he'd gone to see what happened with Kai and Kendrix, he'd barely paid attention to the man who lowered his head and averted his gaze completely.

Which made it all the more surprising to learn the man next to him was in fact, his little brother. It was all he could do not to snap as badly as he did, the wholly embarrassed look on his brother's face should've been enough, but it wasn't.

Panic swirled underneath the disapproval he displayed as he dragged his brother off to the side to chastise him, Leo had no idea what he was getting himself into. "This isn't some joyride, Leo, anything could happen. The colony may never go back to earth, ever." But not even that seemed to damper his brother's determination or defiance, his response simply made Mike believe Leo had no idea of the ramifications of his actions. Had it not been for the "divine" intervention of the girl, Maya, Mike was sure they would've been at each other's throats for longer than they were.

Face to face with what he'd trained for, Mike put his personal quibbles aside and fought the manbugs off the girl they were so intent to capture, forgetting completely that his brother wasn't supposed to be there with them. When the monsters retreated and there the awkward realization that a portal straight out of Sliders was open just across the way, Mike's training kicked in. Maya was willing to venture back through the tear in time and space to save her world; he would let her do it alone.

At least, until Leo volunteered himself as defender of Maya, then he felt obligated, if only to keep his brother out of harms way. "You're not going anywhere," He'd told him. If he had his way, Kai to drag his brother back to the Heliship. He fooled himself into believing that Leo would listen, go back to the colony and wait for him there. His brother proved him wrong again and his expectations of getting things back on track continued to unravel. Confronted by honest-to-God monsters out of a nightmare, he let himself get lost in the adrenaline of battle and tried to ward off the hulking mass of red and gray that decided to single him out of the group. It was stronger than anything he ever expected to go up against, knocking away every punch and kick that he threw at him.

The moment he was thrown against the stone alter, there was very little thinking involved in pulling the sword from its resting place. For starters he never assumed they were immovable objects to anyone except a chosen few, only that it was the closest thing he could grab that would save him from being chopped in half and it did. He swung the sword and parried Furio's blow without a second thought, the burst of energy the saber released was unfathomable. It was both alien and familiar to him, it felt right to hold it.

When the others had surrounded him, puzzled over his admiration of the weapon, it felt just as right to tell them to try and pull the other swords from the stone as well and his sword sang a sweet song of elation when the other sabers joined "him" in freedom. "We've been chosen!" Maya proclaimed with equal happiness, but the magnitude of her words flew over his head as reality came crashing down him the moment the ground began to shake. Furio had done something to earth, it was as if medusa herself had arrived and scorned the ground with her eyes. Leo hurried away from the trembling monster, hopping over the hardening ground in the process. Mike struggled to maintain his calm as he took up the rear and pulled Maya away from the calamity that befell her village.

Kai and Damon, at the head of the pack, leading them through the wild like men on familiar terrain, though it felt they had no sure direction in mind besides "far away". In retrospect, Mike couldn't help but wonder if that was part of the reason they'd been caught. Furio had materialized out of nowhere, a pack of manbugs surrounding him as he laughed at the futility of their actions. He struck the ground a second time, creating a tremor strong enough to split the earth on contact. Without so much as thinking, he pushed his little brother and best friend out the path of the deteriorating soil, but didn't react fast enough to save himself. The ground opened up, belching hot air and dust into his face. He felt his stomach enter his throat when the weight of his body yanked him down, eliciting a scream that - under any normal circumstances - would've never made it past his throat. He collided against the wall of the cliffside, his feet and right hand barely managed to find a hold on the craggy rock before his weight started pulling him down.

He barely heard his brother call out his name over the sound of his own breath combined with the echo of tremor rumbling below. The earth, or lack thereof, beneath the ends of his toes began to crumble rapidly, the realization of what was about to happen to him dawned the moment Leo appeared above, arm outstretched to pull him up and over the chasm.

"Mike!" His name tumbled from his brother's mouth in rush of air and sound, he could see his fingers stretching past their limit, the glove pulled away from the sleeve as they wiggled just few inches above him. "Give me your hand!" He hesitated for the slightest second before raising his occupied hand closer to Leo's, the precarious footing he had on the wall slipped sending him a further away from his brother. Sufficed to say, the response he gave his brother wasn't the one he wanted to hear.  _He had to hold on,_  he wanted to hold on, but his arms were beginning to tire and his legs were ready to give out on him.

Without so much as thinking, he fell back on his training and raised the hand holding the saber and told his brother to take it. Common sense, in any other case, would've told him to let go of the sword and try for his brother's hand. But as terrified as he was (and he was terrified), every fiber in his being was telling him to get the sword to safety.

Every second lost to his little brother's protest, Mike could feel his fingers losing their grip. Part of him wanted to be angry with Leo, hearing "I can't" from the one person who tended look "impossible" in the face with laugh was  _not_  what he wanted to hear right now. He raised his head as much as he could, craning it back until he could see his brother's face. "Of course you can, you have to. I can't hold on any longer," The tone of his voice was resignation, but not in the sense that he wanted to die.

He knew there was no chance for him now, just for his brother, just for the sword whose hilt was burning in his hand now. He raised his arm as high it could go, a few moments later he felt Leo's fingers dancing around the edges of the blade and finally grip it like his life depended on it. The burning in Mike's fingers stopped, the urgency alleviated from his chest as his body relaxed, ready to rest. The ghost of victory that flashed across Leo's face to mirror the wane smile that stretched his lips vanished, tumbling back into terror. "Mike, you can't let go!" And from there his mind ran on automatic. He heard himself rattle the hurried words of encouragement and pride to his brother, watched his brother's resolve crumble, felt it clash with fear that churned in his chest as the last remnants his foothold fell away.

Despite everything that brought them to this moment, despite all his reservations on Leo's wild behavior, he was proud of the man he'd grown up to be. There no doubt in his mind that Leo couldn't carry on without him because he was stronger than he gave himself credit for. None of what he was saying would matter for him in the long run, but he needed Leo to know that.

The weight of his body pulled him down quicker than he could've anticipated the alien world above fell out sight and in the blink of eye. Leo's distraught expression became a speck before the fog of the fiery world below obscured his vision. The weight his body sent him spiraling out of control, colliding against the jagged walls the narrower the space became. For all intents and purposes he should've been dead after the last blow to the ribs, but the narrow space gave way to the open world of fire below. Mike closed his eyes, praying the last seconds of his life wouldn't be a living agony. A hot flash of pain spread across his back and for the longest time, the concept of time, death and life were foreign. He was weightless, without a body or a care in the world. Voices whispered but he didn't understand them, let alone know they were speaking directly to him.

The moment he truly became self aware, both of himself and the man occupying the same space as himself, was when "his" feet touched down on the colony that left him behind. His movements were slow, deliberate, searching for the vapor trail of energy that had chosen to occupy the space colony thriving with life. Mike wasn't so much seeing as he was feeling himself move along the dusty trails of the mountain dome. Little my little, the fog began to life from his mind until the craggy outlines of a cave's innards could be seen through the darkness that surrounded him.

He should've been dead, singing with the angels on high, but he was "here", alive in some capacity. Questions of how he came to be where he was, how he survived the fall into the pit of fire swirled in his mind like a storm, yet almost as quickly as they came, they were silenced with a heated "Be quiet." The voice was stern, hardened like a stone and enough to startle him into a silence of fear.

Was he losing his mind or did his consciousness suddenly develop a personality of its own? Staring out into the darkness, he searched for something familiar to latch onto and found it in the form a flickering pulse, it ran on staccato beat. The further he moved further into the cave, the clearer the sound of steel clanging against steel cautioned him to move slower. The moment the round of in the corner became clear, the energy he'd latched onto became sickeningly recognizable. Leo was alive (of course he would be, why wouldn't he be?) and at that point unrecognizable in a uniform that could've only belonged to a Power Ranger, but he knew his brother when he "felt" him… Somehow.

He was fighting the monster, Furio, from Maya's world, the one that had "killed" him and he was losing. Furio was relentless in his attack, leaving Leo barely any time to defend himself whenever he parried his attacks with the sword he'd given him. Yet, the one time he did get a hit on the monster sent Furio over the edge of an already precarious sanity. Furio tossed his sword aside and Mike was suddenly aware of his helplessness. Trapped in a nightmare he looked on with wide eyes as his brother was tackled and held tight in a grip he couldn't break free of. Crimson filled the gloom of the cave, electricity coiled it's way around Leo like a merciless snake, eliciting an unguarded screamed of pain that coincided with Mike's the moment he was engulfed in an explosion that left no chances of survival.

He could feel himself duck, roll away from the explosion as the fire traveled through both exits of the cave. He was safe, but his brother? Good as dead by everyman standards. " _No, no, no. No!"_  Mike felt his heart implode, his already fragile hope crushed into nothing coincided with the cold calculation of a perspective detached from his own. Rising from the crouched position against the wall, he continued onward as the fire and smoke cleared away.

There wasn't a trace of Furio left to spit on, but the one body that mattered laid on his back, covered in rubbed, stared up at him as he approached. If he had tears, Mike would've shed them without shame. Leo's hand reached out to him, imploring aid. Mike, to his frustration, remained where he stood and chose to observe the battered young man.  _Leo._ "Mike," Leo barely spoke above a whisper before he lost consciousness, hand dropping from its raised position. In the background he could hear the cries of the others, Kendrix and Kai he recognized, the others were strangers to him. The other occupant of his mind reacted to the voices outside, stepping back from the prone body across from him. Choosing then to play the dominant personality, Mike felt himself being forced down into what he'd come to recognize as his sub-conscious. The man was going leave him Leo there, leave him to die of injuries that would've killed any ordinary man.

" _Wait! Don't leave him like this,"_  He pleaded. Cold indifference was the immediate response to his distress.

"What happens to him is none of my concern," The man replied. Mike, however, hardly let the man's opinion dissuade him.  _"Please… he's my little brother. He'll die if you leave him like this,"_  He said.

The man seemed intent on ignoring his pleads, never moving from his place, but never approaching Leo.  _"Please, help him."_  There was a beat of silence before the man was finally moved from his position. Mike watched as he bent over and pulled Leo from the rubble.

Every part of his brother looked ready to snap under pressure, yet he didn't even flinch when he was thrown over his shoulder. He was none the wiser to his rescuer, Mike felt like crawling out of his skin as he listened to Leo's labored breathing. His lifeforce throbbed like a beat unable to find its rhythm, almost as if to ask if he would stay on or go.  _"C'mon, Leo stay with me now,"_  He hadn't spoken the words, he didn't even think his brother heard him until there was an unfamiliar tug on link he would later realize connected him directly to Leo.

" _Leo?"_  A second tug followed the steady breath that filled Leo's battered chest, lifeforce struggling to reaffirm itself. Sunlight filled his vision as they stepped out of the smoky aftermath of the explosion, four figures stood in astonished relief as Leo was returned to them, alive. The man placed him on the ground gently, Leo grimaced but remained oblivious to his surroundings.

" _Thank you."_

"Don't thank me," The man groused, genuinely irritated. Mike didn't respond, he observed his brother, holding tight to the fragile bond between them as he listened to his heartbeat.

To say he grew accustomed to being possessed would be a lie. For most of it, he was hardly aware of his surroundings, the "man" he would come to know as the Magna Defender preferred not to have a "backseat driver" haggling him constantly. His already blurred sense of reality simply got worse the tighter the warrior's grip became on their shared consciousness. The link between himself and his brother was at it's weakest when Leo was awake, which didn't give Mike a lot of hope in communicating with him on any level. Fragmented images or feelings would make their way down to him, yet if he tried to do the same in return there was no sign that Leo ever received his messages.

He never seemed to be able to do much of anything unless the Magna Defender was asleep or lost in his own world, plotting vengeance or mourning over the loss of his son, Zika and their home. With these distractions, Mike learned more than he ever wanted to about the man piloting his body. The kind of hatred that boiled underneath his cool exterior was nauseating, he felt ill anytime it leaked down into his cramped space. He sympathized, borderline-pitied the warrior, but the lengths he went for retribution were enough to frighten him.

His path crossed with the Power Rangers (his friends, his brother) on more than one occasion and it was all Mike could do not to throw a fit when Defender treated them less than kindly. As par for the course, his brother chose to believe the warrior was not the rotten bastard he depicted himself as and he wasn't far from the truth. There was an honorable man underneath the rage that fueled him, but Mike couldn't see how anyone, let alone Leo, was going reach that part of him. Despite Leo's efforts, he chose constantly to make an enemy of his brother.

A spirit (or whatever he was at the moment) couldn't faint or zone out what he was hearing or seeing. He smashed his fists against whatever solid surface he could find when his brother "took the bullet" to stop the Defender from endangering a girl's life or attacking the Defender head on for the Lights of Orion, as it always ended with Leo on the receiving end of injuries. If Mike could, he would've punched his detainer and strangled his brother for being so bullheaded. " _Leave him alone! He's not doing anything to you!"_

"He's getting in my way!" And it was simple as that with the Defender; he saw only what wasn't helping him achieve his goal as a hindrance. Things continued to escalate the closer everyone got to finding the Lights of Orion, Mike spend a good period of his time trying and failing to put a wall between himself and the warrior's hate, it did nothing but zap him of his energy, the energy he used to maintain a constant awareness of the outside world during his imprisonment.

The Magna Defender hardly resembled anything one could call "human" (or "humanoid") by the time he decided the entire colony was worth sacrificing to destroy Destruxo's force field, keeping him from the Lights. With every blow the Torozord's spear made against the invisible barrier, angrier Mike himself became. If the Defender succeeded in destroying the shield, the central dome of the colony would go up in ball of fire strong enough to destroy the base maintain the life support systems. If the explosion didn't kill the inhabitants, the cold of space would.

However, with the added distraction of the Galactabeasts and the warrior's own vendetta blinding him to typical measures that kept Mike a mere spectator to the more heated events, the fissure in wall that kept him under the Defender's thumb was easy to find. At first, It started off no bigger than his fist, but he would learn the more he used it, the bigger imperfection became. The first time he chipped away at it, he managed to latch onto the conscience the warrior would've sooner forgotten than acknowledge.

Everything he stood for or believed him came rushing through the fissure, overwhelming Mike, clashing with the anger that hardened heart. It took half of Mike's energy to amply it, triggering the pain that attacked the metaphysical heart of the Defender, crippling him completely. The control he exerted only lasted for so long, as such, Mike was never realized as the cause of his pain until he tried to attack Trakeena. His morally got the better of him, Mike had chosen then to try and talk some sense into the embittered Defender. For lack of a better of word, his little pep talk didn't work. He might've been able to physically impede the Magna Defender, but he'd gotten Leo hurt in the process.

Mike wasn't even sure why Leo had chosen then to become sensitive to his presence, regardless, he was distracted from his own predicament long enough to suffer a nasty blow to the chest from Treacheron's katana. Mike expected the Defender to rub an extra pinch of salt in an already burning wound, but he was too bewildered to do anything except force him back down into the cramped space of their shared minds.

In the silence of their brooding, Mike reached out and grabbed a hold of the link with all his might. Leo was oblivious to any pain he might've experienced when he was brought back to the Astro Megaship, his mind was especially devoid of thought. Reluctantly, the others left to fight Treacheron without him, it was about all Mike knew and all he managed to convey to Leo, whose own connection to the other Rangers had filled in the blanks with visions of defeat. Mere seconds before he awoke, Mike became privy to fragmented images of his dog tags dangling in negative space and the picture of them together, a year before Terra Venture would prepare to leave earth. It was the one time Mike managed to connect with his brother completely, allowing him to see into his subconscious.

The first thing he'd become aware of was how much Leo missed him, how angry and grief stricken he'd been in his earliest weeks on the Terra Venture. He didn't understand why he lost him, he didn't feel worthy of the power he'd passed on to him. His grief, combined with all of his insecurities could've overwhelmed him in the same way the Magna Defender's loss did him, but the others, Kendrix and Maya especially, kept him focused. Most importantly, his duty as a Ranger gave him something to fight for and for that Mike was glad.

The day of his release from the Defender's possession, the first day of personal freedom in God-knows-how-long, was surreal. The Magna Defender was chomping on the final bit of his sanity, revenge was now the only thing he thought about now. Laments for his son, his some, they became a rarity. Now it was about getting the mission accomplished and nothing more. Thus it would seem fate was largely on his side the day Scorpius chose to attack the colony for its fuel reserves. Visions of Scorpius' demise filled his mind like a slideshow, some of the depictions of the insect warlord's end left him feeling ill. Sitting the dank space of his (or their) mind, Mike waited for the Defender to make his move, he pondered how long he would be allowed to play tenacious that chipped away at the stone that encased the warrior's heart before he did something.

If he could do anything at all, that is. As far as he's been pushed into the darkness, the Defender never did anything about the flaw in the control he exerted over him, which made Mike wonder if he was actually aware of it or assumed Mike's emotions were simply interfering with his motivations.

The Torozord towered over them, blocking out the light of the overcast day. The beast wasn't unlike the Galactabeasts in the sense that it had a mind of its own and was every bit connected to the Defender as it was to him, but it hardly ever acknowledged his presence until now. As its master spoke to him, the Torozord implored that Mike help stop him. It might've wanted to see its master's world and son avenged but the Torozord stopped at the sacrifice of a thousand lives as the exchange. There was no honor in such a victory, especially since there was no certainty that their actions would kill Scorpius. More than a little humbled by the request, Mike agreed to help the Zord.

At first, trying to find his way around the combined energies of the Torozord and the Magna Defender had been tricky, but the second time around made for an easier experience. Like clockwork, Leo and the others arrived to stop the Defender from causing any more damage he already had to the flaming sinkhole he created in an effort to archive goals. Though he would manage to fend the Galaxy Megazord off, the combined efforts of Mike and the Torozord weren't so easily battered.

While Mike had simply reached through the fissure created by the Defender's lack of awareness, the Torozord had smashed it completely, allowing the both of them focus their energies on Magna's heart. The Torozord and the Defender separated in a flash of light, Mike felt himself thrown off balance when the warrior hit the ground, writhing in agony. He took no pleasure in causing the warrior pain, however, if it stopped him from harming innocents than Mike would do it without a second thought.

Freaky Tiki's attack had come from nowhere and frankly, wasn't something neither Mike nor the Magna Defender was anticipating. The monster's stone spearhead pierced the armor like a hot blade, entering through the left of the Defender's shoulder blade. Pain shot through the warrior's chest, crippling them both with a little more than just its blade. Mike couldn't even let out a futile cry of protest as he watched Leo damn the consequences and rush to their aid, effectively ignoring the second attack of the Tiki monster.

His brother's body soaring through the air as he pounced on the monster was the last thing Mike remembered clearly before his handle on awareness fragmented like mirror. What he heard came in broken, intelligible conversation, a mixed bag of emotions from the Defender and the presence of another unfamiliar to him. Laid out in the darkness of his mind, Mike waited for the pain to ebb and his strength to return.

He dreamed of smoke and fire billowing overhead, tickling the back of his throat as he breathed in and out. The smell of wildlife, grass and dirt made its way into his senses, slowly drawing him out of unconsciousness. For the first time in a long time, he felt his fingers clench under his power, his legs with the rest of his body when he moved.

Gravel crunching beneath someone's feet drew his attention away from himself; he exhaled slowly trying to get a fix on his surroundings, which was all too bright and lively for his tastes now. It took the longest time for him to regain cognitive processing, he felt sluggish, drowsy and completely out of sorts. The most he'd managed to come up with was that he was free, but the Magna Defender was nowhere to be seen. Mike opened his eyes and was greeted by the aftermath of what he could only assume was the handiwork of the warrior or the Tiki Monster.

Fumbling for a hold on the surrounding rock formations, Mike struggled to get his arms and legs moving properly. All the above struggled to hoist his body up off the ground, it took at least a dozen or more attempts before he managed to pull himself into awkward standing position where he was practically bent over from trying not to fall. The overcast sky, the low hum of energy beneath his feet and general pain let him know he was alive. He had no real direction, as he didn't know where he was, so he started moving in the direction he assumed was forward and not backward.

His feet crisscrossed each other as he moved along the uneven ground, he stopped on more than one occasion to catch his breath or allow his stomach a chance to recollect itself. When he finally made it over the hill it took Mike a moment to realize the figures across from him weren't intangible forms he could only view through the mind's eye. The sound of his boots sliding across the shifting dirt got an immediate response from everyone save his brother. "Mike!" Mike suddenly felt out of place in his combat uniform, yet it seemed to matter little them.

Kendrix was the first to reach him, wrapping him in a hug that made the smallest of his bruises hurt like the major ones, but he didn't care. He returned the show of affection with a single arm around her waist, Kai and Maya came up beside him, all smiles, followed by Damon (a man he knew only through the tidbits of his brother's memories). They were all happy to see him back, but what about Leo? Over the shoulder of Kendrix, Mike noticed his brother had not moved from his place facing the pit, he held the sword of the Magna Defender with the reverence of a man in mourning. It had given him pause enough that his mind began to compensate for the lost time between his sudden freedom and the absence of the Magna Defender, coming to only one conclusion. The Defender was dead, either by his own hand, Scorpius' monster or the Rangers.

Stepping forward he moved Kendrix aside, he looked on at his brother with the faintest hint of a smile. "Leo." His brother's posture changed, his back straightened like a ramrod as he turned to face him. Mike knew he was looking at entirely different person than the one he felt behind, but it was still his little brother. Leo stared at him like he was a ghost or a treasure to good to be real, the Defender's sword went lax in his hand and the heave of his chest gave way to a dazed smile.

"Mike." Despite the affirmative nod he was given in response to the name, Leo didn't move for a good second or two before rushing toward him in a full on run straight out of the climax of a movie. Social conformities were tossed aside for the one moment that let them both know that this was real; Mike wrapped his arms around his little brother, a million regrets and what ifs fell away in an instant. "Mike," Leo repeated his name, this time on the verge of tears.

As a kid, Mike might've made light of the situation, but he wouldn't dare now. Leo pulled away from him to look him over once or twice. He was an absolute mess of tears, his cry was somewhere between a hysterical laugh and a sob. "You're back, you came back." Mike, too tired to convey anything but a smile, hugged him again.

"I'm really back," He confirmed.


	14. Open Hands

**Title:**  Open Hands

**Summary:**  Always remember to leave a note and double check for it.

**Prompt:**  #13 "Hand Holding"

**Timeline:**   _Galaxy (Lost Galaxy Arc, Post-"Until Sunset")_ ; Mike is 27, Leo is 22

* * *

" _Mike, we found Leo and Damon. They were on Captain Mutiny's planet, get to the infirmary."_

Mike was sure he was already moving before Kai finished relaying the news to him, the befuddled look on Stanton's face was a blur as he flew through the sliding doors and down the hall.

The near-empty halls went by in a blur of white, black and bodies occupying random spaces, there wasn't a lot of thinking in involved in where he was going. He was out of the command quarters in the blink of an eye and running across the bridging pathway that connected the base to the hospital wing. The sterile walls of the building were brighter than usual, white coats looked compelled to stop the man running through the crowded halls bustling with doctors and patients alike.

That's when Maya chose to appear from around the corner, head raised and looking for any sign of him. "Maya," Mike didn't come to a complete stop until he was almost on top of her. Maya sidestepped him gracefully, her hands took hold of his and brought him to a halt. "Are they alright?" He asked. " _Is Leo alright?"_ was the more pressing question and Maya understood that much as she shook her head. "More or less," She replied, eliciting a loud sigh from the older brother. "The doctor says they'll have to stay overnight for dehydration and sunburn."

"What were those two thinking?" He muttered aloud, scowling. "Why didn't they leave a note or a video message-?"

"They thought they did," Maya replied. "Leo thought he told Damon to write it, Damon figured Leo wrote it."

"Typical." Leo he could see running off without leaving a note out of pure absentmindedness, but Damon? He always saw Damon was the more composed of the two. His eyes cut over to Maya, who was trying her best not to become over-consoling as she rubbed his knuckles. "We're just lucky Alpha knew where to find them," She smiled, shaking her head. "I'm not sure why we never think to ask for his help more when somebody goes missing like this."  _Your guess is as good as mine_ , Mike thought as he shrugged.

She lead him down the hall toward the room, he spotted Kai sitting outside on the bench, reading a datapad. Kai didn't acknowledge their approach at first, too caught up in what he reading, apparently. However, a distracted glance toward the hospital door in front of him alerted him to their presence immediately. He greeted both of them with a civil nod and rose from his spot on the bench. "Karone's inside with them," He said.

On the other side of the door, Leo lay on the gurney trying to keep as still as possible. His eyes studied the bag of water that hung next to his bed, IV providing the means for his body to absorb it without rejecting it completely. Everything on his body felt over-taut or ready to fall off from a supposed lack of circulation, he was betting the medication wasn't helping his sense of togetherness (or lack thereof).

His arms lay lifelessly on his sides, his wrists had been wrapped in gauze for their injuries, it hurt to move to see if anything else besides was bandaged up in any particular way. A sideways glance over to the right revealed his companion Damon, fast asleep and oblivious to any discomfort he might've been experiencing. Karone sat on the other side of his bed, one hand clasped around his and her head resting on the edge of his pillow. Her eyes would occasionally drift over to him, earning a sheepish smile or a sigh that seemed to ask 'why are you still awake and he isn't?' If Leo hadn't suspected something early on, he probably would've assumed the meds in his water were playing tricks on his mind.

The door opened, Leo shifted his gaze over to the entrance of the room as Kai, Maya and Mike entered. He studied the noncommittal expressions that sudden befell the three of them as Mike broke away from Maya, hands sliding out of hers. Leo puzzled over the display, eyes focusing on Maya. She was still watching his brother, a look of disenchantment glossed over her features before she was distracted by Kai nudging her in the side.

Mike positioned himself on right of the bed, the look in his eye was a mixture of relief and discontent as he looked his little brother over. For lack of a better word, if he wasn't laid up in the bed, Leo knew his brother would've cuffed him over the head for their stunt. "Hey, Mike," He murmured, inclining his head slightly. "We found Captain Mutiny's planet."

"So, I heard," Mike mused, pulling the vacant chair over to the bed. "Looks like you got a little suntan too." Leo eyes fell downcast to regard his tender skin, peeling and red as the tank top he'd been wearing. "I think I might've overdone it a little." He paused, eyes shifting over to Damon's bed. "Damon looks alright, though."

Mike took a moment to regard his friend's still form, aside from the peeling, Damon's skin definitely didn't look as distressed as his brother. In fact, he'd go as far as thinking Damon looked no different from before his barbeque in the sun. "I'd have to agree," Mike said, grinning. "Kai had said the planet had fallen off the radar, he couldn't even find it using the Astro Megaship's tracking equipment. So, how'd you two find it?"

"Well, that's the funny thing, really. We didn't find it, Deca did," Damon's groggy voice startled the attention of everyone in the room. Karone sat upright, a bright smile on her face as she regarded the bemused expression on the man's face. "You're awake!"

"Yeah, no thanks to you guys," Damon mumbled, cracking open one eye. "You ever heard of indoor voices?"

"But we are using are using indoor voices," Maya said, perplexed by his statement. Kai rolled his eyes good-naturedly at the bedridden mechanic, knowing full well what he actually meant to say with that statement. "How did Deca find it exactly?" He inquired, moving the conversation away from Damon's interrupted beauty sleep.

"Okay, me and Leo were on the simu deck, sparring, when Deca interrupted the simulation and announced that she detected an anomaly right where Mutiny's planet had been," Damon explained, eye shifting over to Leo.

It took the younger Corbett a moment or so before he realized Damon was handing the reigns of the tale over to him. When his bother nudged him, he bit back a wince and resumed the tale. "When we went to check out what she was talking about, the radar definitely was saying that there was a mass in the big empty space where his planet should've been and was. Alpha said he might've cloaked it with magic, but only a sorceress like Rita Repulsa might've been able to do it."

"So, then happened?" Mike asked, despite knowing the general outline of events that occurred afterward. Leo winced when he shrugged his shoulders. "We jumped into our Jammers and went to check out the coordinates. It was definitely the same planet we'd been to before. The slave camps were still there," He replied. "We got ambushed by Deviot and Barbarax and hung out to roast in the sun for our troubles."

"Did a lot thinking out in that sun," Damon murmured. "I never do that much thinking again."

"I hear ya, man," Leo concurred warily. "I thought my head was gonna explode."

"Well, maybe next time you'll remember let someone know where you're going," Mike retorted, resisting the urge to punch his brother's shoulder. Leo frowned in protest, scooting away from the Mike's side of the bed. "Doesn't Alpha count for anything?" He asked.

"No, especially since he'd shut himself down to recharge after you left," Karone rebuked. "We'd spent the entire time looking around the colony for you and had to wait until he came out of stasis to ask him anything."

"That was an entire day, mind you," Kai added. Leo and Damon had anything to say in their defense, knowing the others were largely right about the entire situation. Mike tapped his brother on the arm, eliciting a genuine flinch from the young man who was beginning to believe his brother was just looking to poke a sun burnt man. "Seriously, Mike, that hurts!" Leo practically snapped.

Mike raised his hands in mock-surrender. "Hey, I don't mean to poke. I'm just glad your okay," He said.

"Well, that makes two of us."


	15. Steady Leather, hand me that Chain

**Title:**  Steady Leather, Hand Me That Chain

**Summary:**  Where Leo got his leather jacket.

**Prompt:**  #14 "Follow the Leader"

**Timeline:**  Pre- _Galaxy_ ; Mike is 22, Leo is 17

* * *

It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Leo was looking for a niche to call his own, an idea or motivation that wasn't directly inspired by or connected to him, his big brother. The game of follow the leader was gone with the years of his childhood, Leo was determined to not become a mere facsimile of Mike. At seventeen years old the growing pains had fallen into a ebb and flow (both in a physical and metaphysical sense), making Leo as irritable as ever when he was reminded of the fact that he wasn't quite old enough to do what he wanted and still had to follow the rules (unlike himself or so Leo had convinced himself anyway).

Throw in raging hormones and Leo was a personal nightmare made especially for him and their parents. Mike could assume his brother inherent goofiness was what kept the entire female population of his school from flocking toward him, otherwise he would have to question why the particular breed never praised him for showing off and landing in some unceremonious position on the ground when he failed to compensate for objects he failed to take notice of prior to throwing himself into a endless back flip. Mike always thought if Leo ended up falling for anyone it would've been a "wallflower" kind of girl, or someone as outgoing as himself.

Instead, Mike catches him walking home with a girl straight out of a 80s' Madonna music video. At first glance, she looked no older than fourteen, her diminutive figure (three heads shorter than his brother who'd reached his adult height by then) more fitting to that a blooming teenager of thirteen as opposed to an sixteen year old girl. She wore a leather jacket two sizes too big for her lithe frame - tailor fit for a masculine figure - bangles on both arms and her hair up in a pony tail, accented perfectly with a pink headband. He's clearly smitten by her, hence why he doesn't take notice of Mike until he passed the car, sandwiched between others waiting for the red light to turn green.

To say the least, Leo looked like a boy who got his hand caught in the cookie jar when he realizes his brother is sitting just across from where he stood on the sidewalk. His "girlfriend", on the other hand, is more than pleased to meet the guy she's "heard so much about". She walks over to the curb and extends her hand, engulfed by the sleeve of the jacket. "I'm Jules, Leo's friend," She says with clear distinction that shows in both her face and her eyes.

"I'm Mike, Leo's brother," He responds in kind, eliciting a laugh from the girl and the roll of Leo's eyes. As the light changed and the cars began to move, he cast another pleasant smile in their direction. "Nice to meet you, Jules. I'll see you later, Leo." Leo didn't miss the underline order in his farewell and nodded to his brother. "Later, Mike," Was all he said as Mike pulled back into the stream of traffic.

As he was living apart from the family, he never did see Leo until much later on in the week. He ran into him during his supermarket run, lost in his own little world supported by a walkman he began to carry around since his induction into high school life. At first glance, Mike could've mistaken him for someone else browsing the magazine rack, but the absented minded glance in his direction and spontaneous smile stopped him short of turning away. "Leo?"

"Hey, Mike!" Leo placed the magazine back onto the rack and served him a punch on the shoulder. "How've you been?" Mike shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, feigning boredom. While he was sure he responded his brother's question in the verbal, his mind went on wondering why Leo was wearing Jules' jacket, complete with a chain and padlock around his neck.


	16. A Conversation

**Title:**  A Conversation

**Summary:**  Sometimes simple admiration pays off to something as simple as a talk.

**Prompt:**  #16 "First Love"

**Timeline:**  Pre- _Galaxy_ ; Mike is 14, Leo is 9

* * *

He met her outside while he waited for Leo to come running out of the double doors of the elementary school. The one thing he knew they had in common was younger siblings. She had a little sister, he had a little brother. Distracted by the conversation going on across the schoolyard, she didn't notice his eyes wander down to her neck where her possible name hung from a sterling silver chain.

"Ami J." was written in bold cursive and encrusted with glitter, a complete and utter contrast to her simple looks. The one word he'd use to describe her with would be "smooth". Short hair that curled around her face, brown eyes that sparkled in direct sunlight and sharp features that seemed wise beyond their years.

If she ever noticed how much time he'd spend staring at her whenever their paths would cross, she pretended not to. Or she wasn't curious about the entire ordeal and ignored him completely. Her attention was only on the ball of energy that was her sister. In a similar action, Leo distracted him with tales of his day in school, thus Mike was oblivious to the times she'd spare him a glance of her own. They passed each other in the halls of their school, ate at tables adjacent from each other and lived on opposed ends of their neighborhood, but only he noticed these things. For Ami, he might as well have been a stranger. … _Oh, wait he was._

The day she decided to acknowledge his presence wasn't in school or outside the elementary school of their siblings, but the park just within the walking distance of their respective neighborhoods. She sat on bench underneath the three, tweaking the strings of an acoustic guitar, yet completely attuned to her environment. He'd chosen to sit on the swing to ponder what laid beyond the skies, completely oblivious to fact that it was Ami sitting across from him until he heard the familiar strings of  _"Don't Stop Believin'"_. His eyes were averted from the sky when she said, "Hey, I know you. You're Mike, right?" Mike sat upright in the unsteady seat, his eyes darted over to the right and his heart flipped around in his chest.

Ami sat her guitar to the side and moseyed over to swings, a delighted smile on her face. Mike stared at her like she was some phantom, an unreal thing that manifested from his imagination, which did nothing but elicit an uneasy chuckle from the girl. "I'm Ami Marsden, my sister goes to the same elementary school as your little brother," She tried again, twisting her sleeves.

_Little sister, school, little brother and girl you like standing right in front of you,_  was how Mike's mind progressed the information she fed him. Snapping out of his purple haze, he nodded his head vigorously. "Yeah, yeah, yeah," He blurted, extended his hand. "I'm Mike, nice to meet you, Ami." Ami gave him a look, her expression a mixture of amused and a little annoyed. Closing the distance between them, she sat down in the vacant swing next to his, gripping the chains as she began to swing. "I didn't know you came 'round here."

"Likewise," Mike responded. "You play the guitar?"

"I try, I'm taking lessons right now," She replied. "What about you?"

"Uh, I'm not sure, exactly," Mike replied sheepishly. "I don't have any hobbies."

"Oh, come on, everyone has a hobby," Ami huffed. "And don't say it's looking after your brother. That's  _not_  a hobby, that's a job." Mike snorted in amusement, agreeing with her wholeheartedly on that. He thought about for a moment, his mind raced for a suitable answer for her question. The answer that constantly popped up in his mind had nothing to do with taking care of Leo, but concerned his brother nonetheless.

The one of thing the two of them shared a common interest was stargazing. He wasn't as enthusiastic about as his little brother, but he enjoyed it nonetheless. "Stargazing, I guess," He replied after a moment. The answer resulted in a silence that caused him to raise his gaze from the ground. Ami's eyes were on the sky, growing dimmer as the afternoon rolled closer to the evening. "That's cool, I guess," She murmured. Mike nodded solemnly, thinking she thought less him.

"Got any favorite constellations?" His eyebrows raised at the question, Ami's gaze fell on him at last, a smile playing on her lips. "I was never good at telling one from the other." And she was completely serious about that. Reluctantly, Mike began into the long list of constellation formations and their respective stars. They stayed in the park until they were forced to acknowledge the diminishing light source and their respective curfews. Mike returned home, feeling light as feather and as confident as man his father's age.

"You're in so much trouble," Leo taunted as he followed him up the stairs to his bedroom. "Mom says your gonna be grounded for a whole month."

"Okay." His seemingly nonchalant reply startled his brother in a dumbfounded silence, allowing him the chance to shut the door in his face without consequence.


	17. Possibility

**Title:**  Possibility

**Summary:**

**Prompt:**  #17 "Heartbreak"

**Timeline:**   _Galaxy (Tag-"The Power of Pink")_ ; Mike is 26, Leo is 21

* * *

There wasn't anything he could say in a situation like this and not sound condescending; he'd been witness to the crimson storm cloud that threatened to tear the Terra Venture apart and it's sudden disappearance, but he never knew the cause of either result until he was called from his station by Kai. His friend sounded less than composed at the time. Coming up with an excuse concerning a "family emergency", Mike excused himself from the command head quarters and headed for the hanger bay.

Upon his arrival, he found just his brother and the others present, the Space Rangers were strangely absent and the smell of exhaust fumes hung heavily in the air. He never once assumed their morose attitudes were attributed to what Maya would end up telling him. He assumed she was elsewhere, brooding over the departure her pink counterpart. Instead, Kendrix had been connected to the strange anomaly that erupted from the nearby planet and directly responsible for its dissipation.

"Psycho Pink survived somehow, she found some sword Kendrix discovered in the Galaxy Book and destroyed Cassie's morpher," Maya paused, exhaling shakily. "Kendrix managed to destroy the sword, but… she didn't make it." The euphemism was used enough that Mike acknowledged the truth behind its words and fell back on his training to maintain control of his emotions. He chose not to question the whereabouts of her morpher or sword, thinking it would be indecent to do so.

He watched the four remaining Rangers break away from each other, scattering to their respective haunts upon the colony, the absence of the science division officer was felt immediately afterward when he headed off in his own direction. He wandered aimlessly through the streets full of bewildered and startled colonists, his mind trying to combat the fatigue that was slowly overtaking him.

Kendrix and death were two words that weren't fitting together in his mind, one wasn't synonymous with the other. When he thought of Kendrix, he saw her smile and warm personality; dead was the exact opposite of what Kendrix tended to embody. It would easy enough to let denial flow completely, allow himself to believe that because he hadn't seen it, she was still alive somewhere and the others were lying. But they weren't, the atmosphere and vibe he was picking up from his brother, uncharacteristically quiet, were testament enough to the viability of their story.

Neither of them were ignorant to the repercussions of death, it was a unwelcome bedfellow in their lives. They'd lost a potential sister as kids, their grandparents to old age and Alzheimer's; Leo lost more than a few friends on the streets because of their own decisions to continue their detrimental lifestyles, Mike lost a comrade or two since leaving the earth on the Terra Venture (most of them during his absence). None of these events made it any easier to deal with the death of someone they cared about, they developed their own ways of coping, sure. However, Mike wasn't so sure the coping mechanisms would apply in this situation.

Without meaning to, he backtracked all the way back to the GSA dormitories, specifically his brother's. Without a moment's hesitation he entered the dorm, surveying his surroundings. Leo was the only occupant in the room, he sat at the island, arms folded and appeared to be thinking hard on something.

Upon closer examination, however, Mike saw that his brother's expression was caught between infuriated and distraught. He closed the distance between them easily, Leo didn't so much as flinch when his brother sat on the stool next to him. His little brother's emotions weighed heavily on his mind, Leo's heartache, a constricting sensation in his chest, was his own. Leo wanted to hurt someone, lash out at anything, he wanted someone blame him for not saving her.

_I should've done something._  One guilt ridden thought after another plagued their minds, it was the moment Mike wished he could close the link between them. "Leo," Mike began tentatively. Leo shook his head furiously. "Not now, Mike, please?" It wasn't a angry request like he would've expected. Leo looked up from the table with an almost resigned expression. None of it had skunk in, they (he) needed time to process it before any words of comfort could get through to him.

Understanding this, Mike nodded his head. "Alright, another time."


	18. Retrospect is a two way street

**Title:**  Retrospect is a two way street

**Summary:**  "Heroism" is a term applied loosely to deeds considered selfless. Really, it's just it another word for "stupid".

**Prompt:**  #18 "Hero"

**Timeline:**   _Galaxy ("Journey's End")_ ; Mike is 27, Leo is 22

* * *

Consider for a moment that were was another way of dealing with Trakeena. Would his brother have chosen a less lethal means of killing her without the slightest risk to himself, or would've he still gone for the surekill? That was the question Mike had asked himself (or so he would he would believe) the moment he saw his brother engulfed in a ball of flames and watched the others and the Galaxy Megazord go down in flames with the remainder of Terra Venture.

The world dropped out beneath his feet and the seemingly endless pit of despair took the place of his heart. After all they went through, he would be the only survivor of their journey? Was this how his brother felt when every time he came even an inch to loosing him?

Had Leo not survived, had none of them survived, they would've painted as martyrs, heroes who gave their lives to defend the new world and its future inhabitants. Mike would've had no choice to but do the same, there wouldn't have been a chance to cuff his brother upside the head, let alone hug him for the very fact that he was alive. "He was a true hero, they all were," Mike could imagine Commander Stanton trying to console him for his loss if he'd chosen to reveal their identity's to his leader (assuming he and the high command didn't already know).

But he did survive, and by the grace of their Galactabeasts, lived to see the future on the planet was revealed to be Mirinoi. Mike did hug his brother, marveling the worst injury he sustained was a busted helmet and a couple bruises. At the end of the day they were still heroes, but they were heroes he could berate for scaring the crap out of him.


	19. Hide and Go Seek

**Title:**  Hide and Go Seek

**Summary:**  How hard can it be find a six year old? Not hard at all if you follow "Kai Logic".

**Prompt:**  #19 "Under the bed"

**Timeline:**  Post- _Galaxy_ ; Mike is 38, Leo is 34

* * *

"C'mon, man, how hard can it be find a six year old?" Mike inquired, grinning as he watched his brother turn in a circle in the center of the room. Leo didn't answer his brother right away, instead he continued to survey the spacious bedroom that belonged to his son, Brain, his expression becoming all the more puzzled the longer he stared at the room. Neither he or Kendrix were particularly good at playing hide and "go" seek, in fact they hated the game, so he couldn't fathom why Brain had such a hankering for it.

"Apparently, it's harder than it looks," Leo replied, feigning a look of frustration. "I saw him run in here, I just don't know how he could've disappeared." Directly across from where Leo was standing, there was a stifled giggle from under the bed. Mike rolled his eyes at his brother's theatrics, hoping he wouldn't posture for too long before his son got bored. "I could give you a hint?" He suggested.

Leo shook his head, raising his finger in disapproval at the same. "No, no, I wanna figure this out on my own," Leo objected with a smile, eyes swiveling over to the bed. "Man, this tough." Mike pretended to slit his throat with his finger and stuck his tongue out at Leo, he was laying it on thick now. Leo shrugged apologetically, strolling casually toward the bed. "What are you two doing?" Both men glanced over to the doorway to find Kai standing in the threshold, arms folded.

"We're just playing a little hide and seek," Leo replied. "We can't find Brian." Kai's curiosity was quickly replaced with confusion as he regarded both brothers with an incredulous look. "He's under the bed," Kai pointed to the shoe sticking out from underneath the structure. Mike shot his friend a dismayed look as a unified groan of defeat escaped both Leo and Brain. The little boy crawled out from underneath the bed, lips pouted in protest. "Kai, you ruined the game!" Brian proclaimed.

"Yeah, Kai, now we have start over again," Leo seconded, mimicking his son's pouty expression.

"What? He always hides under the bed," Kai defended. "How can you never-"

"Kai, that wasn't the point, though," Mike interjected. "We were having fun and spoiled it." Kai took another moment to regard the three Corbett's with disbelief. He did not see the point in feigning ignorance over an easily beatable game of hide and seek.


	20. Stupid over Ginger

**Title:**  Stupid over Ginger

**Summary:**  Mike laments his brother's situation as he readies himself for a date with Ginger.

**Prompt:**  #20 "In the Closet"

**Timeline:**   _Galaxy (Tag-"A Red Romance")_ ; Mike is 26, Leo is 21

* * *

It was a strange thing to see his brother so taken with a girl with an attack dog for a brother. Though he digresses, if Leo had ended up being a "Leona", he was pretty sure he'd be more than a little overprotective of his "baby sister" if she started dating a random colony guy. He was pretty chilled in regards to his brother's safety until he got hurt. Regardless, he couldn't fathom mistaking a rescue from a fall off a bike for assault.  _That's just being paranoid,_  he concluded with a nod of his head.

Watching his brother pillage his (as in Mike's) closet for a decent shirt to wear was probably even scarier than a paranoid big brother. On more than one occasion he told Leo not to throw his stuff around like it was dirty clothing, but Leo didn't seem to hear him. Clothes went flying over his head and onto various objects in his room. He disappeared in the closet for minutes at a time, only coming out when he thought he found the right shirt. Leo didn't seem to have any appreciation for Mike's polo shirts, thinking they were too "preppy" or worse, constricting. "What if a monster attacks? I can't even move my arms in this," Leo grumbled, throwing the shirt aside.

"Hey, I resent that!" Mike picked the shirt up off the ground and dusted it off. "I can move my arms just fine in this thing." Leo responded with a doubtful grunt and resumed digging through his closet once more. Mike glanced at the clock on the wall and sighed, he only had a couple minutes before his shift started, but he was not about leave his brother in his room to murder the remainder of his closet. "Ah-ha!" Leo's proclamation of possible victory drew his attention away from the clock, renewing the spark of hope in getting to work on time.

Leo emerged from the darkness of the closet, a big smile on his face. He'd chosen a simple red t-shirt and quite possibly, the loudest short sleeve dress shirt he'd ever seen. A short sleeved, blue and white tropical tree themed button shirt. Good lord.  _When did I buy that?_  "Out all the things I own, you pick that thing?" He said.

Leo nodded, tugging on the shirt a bit too proud of himself. "Yeah, I think it works with the pants," He said, patting his washed out jeans. "What do you think?"

Mike shook his head in dismay. "Leo, I think you're a dork."

"Ah, Ginger won't mind," Leo replied, seemingly ignorant of the insult he'd just been branded with. As the two left his quarters, Mike struggled to come to terms with the fact that his brother had gone soft in the head over a girl he barely knew.


	21. Better Ideas

**Title:**  Better Ideas

**Prompt:**  #21 "Drive In"

**Timeline:**   _Galaxy, none in particular_ ; Mike is 26, Leo is 21

* * *

"Tell me you have a better idea than this nut does, Kai," The plead in Mike's voice was evident, offensive almost, if it weren't for the fact that "nut" was often used as an term of endearment.

"Hey, I resent that!" Leo objected, readjusting the night vision goggles atop his head. Smack in the middle of his brother and Kai, the younger Corbett made it a point to elbow both men when they moved in too close to him. The last thing he wanted to be was the filling for a pessimistic sandwich. "What's wrong with my plan, anyways?"

"Everything, little brother," Mike retorted, trying to keep his voice low. "You don't really expect them to let us just drive in and take it do you?"

There was a moment of silence followed a hapless shrug from Leo. "Well, yeah, actually."

"I hate to say it Mike, but I think Leo might have the best course of action in this situation," Kai sighed, clearly resigned to the thought. Mike gave his partner a look that could melt ice. Brow furrowed and his arms crossed, Mike stared at their desired destination with disdain.

They crossed a hundred yards of enemy territory and lost one of their teammates in the process; the mere thought of turning his sacrifice into nothing with one ballsy move seemed like an insult to Damon's memory. It might work, but the chance that it would backfire on them seemed greater than its possible success.

"Look, if you guys don't wanna do it, I'll go," Leo suggested, rising from his crouched position. Almost simultaneously, Mike and Kai grabbed him by the arms. "No!" Mike hissed, forcing Leo back into his position. Leo let out a frustrated grunt as he folded his arms. "C'mon, Mike, I can do this!"

"The last time we sent you to get it, you set off an alarm that got Damon caught!" Kai reminded him.

"I didn't see the trip wire, okay!"

"Will you two-" Mike's sentence died in his throat at the sensation of a gun being pressed against the back of his head. Almost immediately his hands went up in surrender, Leo and Kai turned around, fumbling for their guns. They were shot square in the back twice; Mike flinched away from the splatter of green and pink paint that exploded all over their jumpsuits.

For extra measure, Mike was also gunned down, but with yellow and white paintballs coming from the front and the back. He landed on the ground next to a baffled Kai and Leo, scowling at awkwardness of his team's defeat. Karone skipped into his line of sight, hand-in-hand with an equally content Damon in tow. Kendrix and Maya appeared behind him, their paint guns raised in victory. "We win!" Maya declared in a sing-song voice.

"A little tip for you guys; if you plan on sneaking up on the opposing team, try whispering," Kendrix grinned down at the trio from Team A. Leo chose to keep his face facing the dirt, too embarrassed to believe they'd gotten so trashed by Team B and with the help of their "fallen comrade" of all things.


	22. Routine, Routine

**Title:**  Routine, Routine

 **Prompt:**  #22 "Tickle"

 **Timeline:**  post-"Redemption Day", Mike is 26, Leo is 21

* * *

Getting back into the swing of things with the shadow of an unexplained absence was more complicated than it sounded in his head. Work was largely the same, day in and day out he fell back into the routine of GSA duties and the occasional stargazing. Yet, at the same he couldn't ignore the wandering looks or hesitant body language around some of the people he worked with.

They wanted to ask him where he'd been, what happened to him, but the question never came up and he never bothered to humor them.

Facing Commander Stanton and High Councilor Renier made for the more awkward moments of his earliest tenure back on the space colony. The eerie, almost knowledgeable looks he got from them made him question just how ignorant they were of what went on behind the scenes of with the Power Rangers. Still, if they did know anything, they never pushed and the mere idea of their knowing what happened to him and what his brother and friends did on an almost day-to-day basis was creepy enough.

Leo hardly seemed concerned about whether or not the commander in chiefs knew if he was a Power Ranger or not. "What's the worse they could possibly do besides help us?" He inquired on evening out on the docks.

"Legally, they could probably take your morphers from you," Mike rebuked, nudging his brother's shoulder. "Power Rangers cause just as much trouble as they do help." Leo shrugged his shoulders, raising his arms over his head he readjusted the straw he was chewing in his mouth with the ease of someone who couldn't be bothered to worry about the repercussions of superherodom. "I don't think it's anything worry about until they confront us," He told his older brother, clearing his throat when he felt a tickle in the back of it. "Excuse me."

"You're excused. And if it does become a problem, then what?" Mike asked, baffled at his brother's behavior. "How will you deal with it?"

"We'll wing it, I guess," Leo answered. Mike exhaled wearily when he thought of that conversation; was this really how they dealt with things while he was gone? Leo was definitely going to need to shape up as a leader and take situations like this more seriously.


	23. Trinkets can Kill Deary

**Title:**  Trinkets can Kill Deary

 **Prompt:**  #15 "Stuffed Animals"

 **Timeline:**  N/A

* * *

Neither Leo nor Mike was the stuffed animal type. Worry as their mother might, she never had to concern herself about buying their security blankets in the form of a stuffed Theodore or Alvin doll to scare away the monsters. G.I. Joe and Sergeant Rock was all the protection from the dark Mike felt he needed and he never slept with them. A blanket over his head and a flashlight in hand, he would always know his heroes were nearby to protect him or sacrifice themselves for the survival of the Corbett family if they needed to be tossed headlong into an enemy.

Leo, on the other hand, found comfort in a silly gold coin on the beach during their vacation to Los Angeles. At the time Mike didn't know any better not to make fun of his brother, he was a kid after all, but in retrospect he had no room to talk (he relied on action figures as a coping mechanism). Leo kept that thing with him at all times. In his pockets, in his fist, in his backpack, it was never far from him. It had gotten to the point where he managed to get their mother to drill a little hole through the coin and make a necklace for him.

That coin necklace would be the first in the long line of alternating necklaces his brother would wear in his life.


	24. It's only half worth telling

**Title:**  It's only half worth telling

 **Prompt:**  #22 "Tickle"

 **Timeline:**  Galaxy ("The Rescue Mission")

* * *

"So…"

"So?" Mike still hadn't looked up from fastening his armor, steadily working his way down to his boots straps.

Leo regarded the rifle in his hand with uncertainty, he hadn't held one since he stowed away on the  _Terra Venture_. He associated the weaponry and the GSA military uniform with as many bad memories as he did good ones. The weird dissonance of his choices gathered up in his head as a reminder that his own autonomy was the reason he got as far as he did.

"Is there any reason you asked me to come with you?" He asked.

Mike did his brother the honor of meeting his gaze, as curious as he was uneasy with the responsibility that lay before him. Mike pulled his foot down from the side of the wall as the lift's decent began to slow. "I trust you," Was all he said.

"And?"

"And, what? That's, it. I trust you to watch my back."

Leo gave his brother a look that demanded that he better elaborate. "Technically speaking, Mike, I'm not a solider," He said. "And almost everyone in your squad is someone you trust, otherwise they wouldn't be under your command. What's the real reason?"

Mike bit the inside of his mouth. "It was what I saw on the video. The man on the ship… he didn't look human," Mike explained. "His face… it looked like it'd been burned away and-"

"And you think it might be weird enough to involve a Power Ranger?" Leo concluded for him.

"Something like that."

"So, why choose me? Why not Kendrix or Kai? They're trained for this type of thing, I'm not."

"I need Kai on the bridge with Commander Stanton and Kendrix is busy in the lab. I couldn't possibly ask Maya or Damon, they're civilians as far as the GSA is concerned. Out of the latter, you're the only one with GSA experience or employment."

Leo scoffed. "Yeah, and I failed worse at that than I did trying to hold a day job at Wal-Mart."

"The  _point_  is, Leo, that on top of trusting you to watch my back, you're the only one I could actually bring along without being questioned. That and I've seen you fight out of uniform. You can hold you own."

"And I'm sure the Ranger thing doesn't hurt either, right?" Leo grinned mischievously at his brother.

In spite of the annoyance that tickled the back of his mind at his brother's behavior, Mike smiled back. "Yeah, right." Reaching over he thwacked his brother atop his head. "No one will miss a Red Rookie if he goes missing and a Power Ranger shows up, but they might question the absence of their C.O. in the presence of the Magna Defender."

"That, and you've got a bit of a notoriety issue to fix," Leo reminded him rubbing his head.

Mike grimaced slightly, his mind traveling back to when the Defender was creating as much chaos as he was stopping it in his quest to find the Lights of Orion. "Yeah, there's that."


	25. Talk of the Town

**Title:**  Talk of the Town

**Prompt:**  #43 "Parents"

**Timeline:**  Pre-Galaxy

* * *

Renee and Tom Corbett were on cloud nine.

Their son had been among the prestigious few chosen with the chance to explore and find a new world in the great wide reaches of space. Tom took the news in stride, most likely determined not to embarrass their child, but Renee - well, Renee couldn't help but divulge the news to the rest of the parents she knew who in turn told everyone they knew.

Sufficed to say, by the end of the week, everyone on their block knew Michael Corbett was being shot off into space and celebrated on his behalf.

It was a little embarrassing for Mike if he was being honest, but he remained humble through it all.


End file.
